Rosetta Stone
by ImogenSantamaria
Summary: Paige and Alex meet boarding school.....Can these two girls from totally different places in life get over their differences and take a chance? Or is one's past going to change everything they worked for?
1. Sunset

Disclaimer- I obviously do not own Paige and Alex as for about 90 percent of the characters to come, I pretty much do own them. I will not be making any money from this story either. It's just an idea that I had so yeah. Don't sue me. It'll cost you too much money anyway. I am broke and you'll make no money :)

A/N: Ok so I know I have ADD and I have like 10 stories going on at once and for that I apologize. But I promise that I will not neglect any of my other stories. I will keep them going for as long as it takes :) Ok now I will stfu... Have fun!

Chapter 1

The summer was coming to an abrupt end as she tried mentally willing time to either stop or go backwards. She knew as soon as summer was over she'd be back at the hell hole called school. Things wouldn't have been so bad if she was going back to school with all her friends, but no, this year she was going to be in an all new environment. Her parents decided that it would be best that she detach herself from her surroundings and see things through a new perspective. What they were really saying was that she should get out of the house so they could have their "bonding" time. They would never blatantly put it that way, but that was what they were thinking.

As much as she loved her parents they had never really seen eye to eye on most things. They were expecting their daughter to attend Banting University or even move to the states and attend Harvard Law school, when in truth she detested the idea. She wanted a life of less glamour. She simply wanted her camera or pencils in hand. Her parents hated the thought that they're daughter would be content with repainting the Sistine Chapel if need be. They wanted her to be the either be an important business woman or a powerful attorney. She wanted her parents to understand, but that was almost like wishing all the members of The Clash were alive and well.

The sun was setting in the horizon as the girl sat in her lawn chair watching. She had her charcoal pencils in hand as she proceeded to draw the sunset on the tablet lying on her lap. Proudly she smiled to herself as with each passing left to right motion the picture became clearer. When most think of the sunset they think of oranges, yellows and even on some occassions a purple here and there, but she didn't. No, for her even the brightest moments in her life still seemed dull. Her lackluster world was something that she had grown accustomed to. In her 17 years of life she had learned that a simple yes followed by a smile went a long way.

"Darling come inside. Your father wants to talk to you about school." Her mother called from the front steps.

"Ok Mother I'll be in there in a sec. Just let me finish this."

"No he said he doesn't have time to wait on you."

"Alright I am coming."

On a day to day basis her friends would call her a pushover, and that may seem like the case, but was actually far from the truth. The truth was that she was not a confrontational girl. She enjoyed the simplicities of life. Her theory was that arguing with someone caused far too much effort and it only complicated matters, so why even bother? She hurried inside as she was told.

Her family lived a comfortable life style. Her father was an executive at the Clark & Nunez advertising agency and her mother was the home body. She never really left the house unless she was going grocery shopping or something of that nature. She used to be a preschool teacher, but that changed after her car accident. She felt that she she could no longer deal with things at school. They were in no way wealthy but they were also far from poor.

"Honey come in here." Her father called from his office.

"Hey Dad." She says sitting down in the chair in front of her.

Most days when she would enter his in home office she felt as if she was his client not his daughter. After her father had become engrossed in his job they became very distant. As a child she felt she could tell him anything and he would do anything to the best of his ability to make her happy. Times had changed and that wasn't the case anymore.

"I know you were expecting to go to school in the next week, but you're mother and I decided that it would be best for you if you left for school tomorrow." His voice sounded devoid of all emotion.

"Why Dad?"

"Well we know this is going to be a change for you and it would nice for you to meet some of the girls at your school."

"Oh ok."

"Alright I guess I'll see you at dinner then Alex."

"Yeah see you then Dad."

She exited the room as quickly as she entered it. She learned over the past two years that it is better to show no emotion, once you're behind closed doors you can let your emotions go. Once she reached her bedroom she began to rummage through everything. Her room was already a mess on account of her early packing but this didn't help matters any. Every article of clothing soon found it's way to a pile in the middle of her room.

She took her tablet and pencils in hand once again and stood on her balcony. She had no idea what she was going to draw but she needed her sanity and this was the only way to keep it. Most days she thought that her fingers had a mind of their own. She never knew exactly what she was going to find on her paper she until it was finished. As her fingers began to guide her she began to feel much more relaxed. The anger that had built up moments before was slowly leaving her body. She wasn't happy by a long shot, but she wasn't ready to kill anyone either, which was the important part.

After an hour passed she finally had a completed piece of artwork before her. The hills that formed the perimeter of her yard were there along with the trees. Farther in the distance of the drawing you could a small family of cattle. Everything seemed to blend well together all except for the tiny detail that would cause you strain your eyes to see. If you looked close enough you see a small girl. It seemed that everything in the pictured had absorbed the girl. Isn't it ironic how the most important things in life are the last things one notices?


	2. Great Start

Chapter 2

The sun shown brightly throughout her room. She tried to force herself to sleep as much as possible, but it seemed that her body had other things in mind. She debated with herself for at least five minutes. It would have been so simple to get out of bed; however, today was going to be anything but simple for her. She knew that as soon as her mother and father woke up she would be on her way to Lakeshore Preparatory School for girls.

As much as Alex would have loved to admit to say that she was going to hate moving away from home she couldn't say that. She loved the surroundings and the overwhelming feeling of tranquility, but that was the only thing that she felt she loved about being home. She realized that she wasn't even going to miss her friends. She never really had any to begin with. The people she had called friends were more or less acquaintances and had only talked to her because they shared the same classes. She had yet to meet anyone that she felt enjoyed being around her for her sake.

She heard the water running which meant that her parents would be in her room to make sure she was up shortly. She couldn't even remember having packed her belongings. Some time between after dinner and now she had managed to pack everything neatly into their respective places. She knew full well that her parents were not going to wait around for her to be packed. She was exhausted it was now 10 am and she wanted nothing more than to roll over and go back to sleep.

Ordinarily her parents would have bought her a plane ticket, but they felt that it would a nice drive. Once again she knew they weren't being up front. The truth of the matter is that they wanted to go to New York themselves. Her mother had never really been giving the opportunity before and she wasn't going to let this chance get away from her.

Alex walked downstairs quietly to pour herself a bowl of cereal. It finally began to dawn on her that she wouldn't be able to enjoy the peace and quiet like this for a while. She enjoyed her usual bowl of Fruity Pebbles. Her mother didn't like the fact that she ate a bowl a day. She had always told her that was very childish and she was not a child. Alex didn't mind, she loved her cereal and that was the important thing.

She heard footsteps and knew someone was approaching the kitchen. She knew that is was her father. His steps were very distinguishable.

"Morning honey." He said simply before making his way to the coffee maker.

"Morning." She said no more no less. This is how their mornings were spent during the summer.

He quickly turned on the television to on the counter to see if anything new and interesting was going on. Just as quickly as he turned it on he turned it off. He only ever seemed to be interested in how the stock market was doing. He had more shares in coca cola then she could even count.

"Well honey I am going back upstairs. You do have your things packed eh?" He father asked as she nodded. "Alright we should be leaving in 20 minutes then. We want to arrive there at a decent time."

Her father was gone quicker than she could respond. She probably wouldn't have responded anymore, but the fact of the matter was that she wasn't even given the chance.

Exactly 20 minutes later her parents arrived downstairs with several of her belongings. They didn't hesitate to get her things out of the house. She wasn't surprised, but they could have let her grab her stuff. As a family they packed the car quickly and efficiently. With one last look she took things in as if it were the last time she'd see all of this. A huge part of her thought this would be the last time. She didn't know where the overwhelming feeling had come from, but she felt it.

Luckily she had her IPOD in hand. She began to listen to Blue October. Most people she knew didn't really appreciate the band, but they were amazing. They got their point across and that was enough for her. She felt her father's eyes on her looking at her through the rear view mirror; however, she pretended that she didn't notice him. In a matter of hours they would finally be alone and that was the important thing, was it not?

Six bathroom breaks, three stops for food and beverages and of course most importantly 3 stops for gas they finally were nearing their destination. There wouldn't have been hardly that many stops had it not been for her mother. The trip was initially supposed to only be 8 and a half hours at the most. A little more than 12 hours later the family drove slowly down the dirt road that seemed to never end. The seclusion didn't go unnoticed by the brunette. She had heard the stories of parents shipping their children off to boarding school. She knew that most parents found their children a hassle and that this would be the best way to rid themselves of the responsibility of having them. Her father used to say, "If you have money Alex, you can do anything." She was finally beginning to realize the power of money.

They soon reached an older building, the architectural styling had something of a Gothic appearance, and everything was surrounded by an old black gate. She felt like she was in some sort of scary movie filled of ghosts and evil spirits. She knew full well that there weren't any ghosts and such, but it still didn't settle the uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She was pleased to find a small lake flowing into a stream. It was very peaceful. It was very tranquil and the swans only added to the beauty.

Shortly after arriving they were greeted a by an older woman. She didn't appear to be older than 40 years old.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes we're here to drop off our daughter."

"Right this way."

The woman lead them through the building quickly. She didn't even attempt to give them any sort of tour. She didn't seem too pleased to be with them at all. At 10pm she deserved the benefit of the doubt. They enter a large room before an older woman. She seemed to be well over 50 years old.

"May I help you?" She said while looking over her glasses.

"Yes, we're here with our daughter Alex Nunez."

"Oh yes. Please have a seat." She said pointing to the seats before her. "Mr and Mrs. Nunez, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Likewise." Mr. Nunez said while taking the older woman's hand.

"I am Headmistress Duncan. We've spoken several times on the phone."

"The phone tag was becoming a bit tiresome." Alex's mother plainly stated.

"We're very excited to have Alex joining us here for the school year. I have looked at her school records many times. She seems to be an exceptional student."

"She really is." Her father said before smiling his most fake smile at her.

Alex had grown accustomed to being able to interpret which smiles were genuine and which weren't from her parents. Her father generally crinkled his nose a bit and showed most of his teeth when he was really happy about something. When he was trying to impress someone he only showed his top teeth and it seemed as if he was going to strain a muscle in his cheeks, much like the smile he had just given her.

"Our daughter is a very intelligent girl." Mrs. Nunez said before smiling her million dollar smile.

If her parents were good at anything it was playing happy family. They had mastered the skill over the past 2 years. Sometimes she wondered why her parents didn't try to be on All My Children or something of that nature. They would fit in well. Her mother was very similar to Erica Kane. The only difference is that Erica actually had a heart, she is a just a bit misguided. Her mother on the other hand had no heart.

The adults continued to speak to one another for nearly half an hour. Alex was bored out of her mind. Headmistress Duncan was the first to observe this or rather the first to actually care.

"Alex would you like to see your room?" She asked nicely.

"Sure I'd love that."

"Yes I think it is best that we probably be heading out of here. We have a lot of sight seeing tomorrow." Her father said before standing up.

"Manhattan is a great place. I hope you two enjoy."

They all quickly brought her things inside. She was expecting her parents to at least walk to her room, but they didn't. She didn't know to be ecstatic or disappointed.

"Call us at least once a week darling." Her father said before pulling her into a hug.

"I will."

"Enjoy yourself." Her mother said.

"I will."

Her mother didn't even reach to hug her. She simply smiled before walking off. Her father wasn't far behind her. She silently watched them leave her alone in an unfamiliar place.

She had no one to help her out, to make her feel at home and yet she felt more at home than she did in her own home.

Alex entered the room with all of her belongings. She began to stumble and make quite a bit more noise than she had expected. She had dropped her cell phone fore the hundredth time in her life. It crashed to cold floor and she desperately had to find it. She didn't see anyone in the room and instinctively reached for the light switch.

"Do you mind?" The girl said as Alex turned on the light.

"I am sorry. I didn't know you someone was in here."

"Yeah well I am. Now would you turn off the fuckin' light? Some of us actually would like to get some sleep."

"Sorry..." Alex said bashfully turning the light off.

She had already gotten off to a rocky start. She already missed Canada and it had only been 12 hours. What was she going to do?


	3. Meet the three Amigos

Chapter 3

She quietly got out of bed making sure to not disturb her roommate who seemed to have had a rough night. She made her way down the hall to the bathroom. She knew that in a matter of minutes most of the girls would be up for breakfast. She really wanted nothing to do with the rest of the girls. She was content with her artwork and that alone was enough to help her through the days. Most people who end up in boarding school end up missing their parents instantly, but Alex was not like most. She wasn't missing her parents at all. How could she miss them when they were never there?

Alex had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn't even realized that someone else had entered the bathroom.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Uhhh... I'm... uh...I'm... uh... Alex."

"Well uh...I'm... uh... Alex, you're using my sink."

"Oh I'm sorry."

She moves away from the girl's sink and quickly makes her way back to her room. Before entering she finally notices the sign on the door. "Rachel and Alex's room." She enters her room as quietly as possible. She notices that the blonde is now awake. This is the same girl that nearly bit her head off less than 8 hours ago. Alex soon realized that this was going to be quite the experience of her life. She had a bitchy roommate, some random girl thought she ran the school, and worst of all she had lost her touch. She could no longer draw at will. Her inspiration was gone the second she stepped foot on the school grounds. This was going to be a long school year if things didn't make a turn around.

"Hey look about last night I am sorry." The blonde finally spoke.

"It's ok."

"No it's not. I am usually not like that, but I just had a rough night."

"Hey really it is ok. We all get like that."

"Wow..."

"What?"

"Nothing... you just might want to watch out."

"Ok..." A confused look quickly crossed her face.

"Look some of these girls are really mean and since you're new... they're gonna take advantage of that."

"Thanks."

"By the way you're Alex, right?"

"Uh yeah... Rachel." She prayed to god that she was right.

"Yup that's me. Rachel Gable. Most just call me Rach though. But ummm yeah look we've got breakfast in 10 minutes. So you ready?"

"Uh... sure."

Rachel guides Alex to the cafeteria as quickly as possible. Rachel had this theory that if she ate as fast as a speeding bullet that would leave her plenty of time to go back to sleep. Her theory may have been a little off, because it left her 45 minutes at maximum to rest. Alex wasn't one to put a damper on anyone's mood. She smiled and went along with the blonde's logic. The girls arrived at table that already had two smiling girls eating their breakfast.

"Hey Rach... about time."

"Sorry it's not my fault Steph."

"Whatever you say." Steph looks over and notices the shy brunette. "Well since ass here has forgotten her manners. I'm Stephanie." She says reaching out a hand to the brunette.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Alex." She says accepting the Auburn haired girl's hand.

"This is Whitney." Stephanie says pointing at the Brunette eating her food. "She doesn't talk much. You'll be lucky to get a word or two out of her."

"Yeah that's because you do enough talking for the rest of us." Rachel says with a smirk across her face.

"Shut up ass!" Rachel looks at her with an innocently. "Anyway so where are you from Alex?"

"Ummm actually I'm from Toronto."

"So you're Canadian eh?" Steph said trying to do her best Canadian accent.

"Steph that was so damn lame."

Alex couldn't suppress her giggle. She fought hard, but in the end she lost in the struggle.

"It's not funny." Steph says with pouting. "You've even got the new girl against me."

"Hey the new girl has a name." Alex finally says speaking up.

"Sorry... Alex."

"Ha that's right Alex. Way to make her your bitch."

"Whatever Rachel." She says getting up. "I have to head back to the room so I can finish unpacking." Rachel and Alex both nod their heads. "So I'll catch you guys later."

"Yeah definitely." Rachel says.

"It was nice meeting you." Alex says softly.

"Nice meeting you too, cutie." Stephanie says with a wink before walking off.

Rachel lightly chuckles to herself before getting up to throw her food away. If only Alex knew what she was getting herself into by coming to school here. This place was a place was very different than the place outside the gates of the school ground. As she is dumping her food a familiar blonde bumps into her.

"Bitch watch where you're going." The blonde says rudely.

"Whatever. Don't you have something or someone to be doing."

"Gable you have a mouth on you this year. Nice. Feisty... you know that's how I like it." She says with a smirk before walking away.

Rachel notices the brunette sitting alone at the table looking quite confused. She kind of hoped that she hadn't noticed the interaction between the school tramp, but she couldn't tell. Today was not the day for questions to arise.

"Ready to go and see what this small ass town has to offer?" Rachel asked with a huge grin on her face.

"Sure." Alex simply answered.

"Scratch that North Castle really doesn't have much to offer. So uhhh you just wanna chill and watch some movies."

"Yeah I'd like that."

The two quietly walked back to their room. Rachel knew in due time she would have to explain a lot things if she and Alex had a chance in hell of being friends. She just couldn't handle uncovering old dirt today. Alex obviously noticed that something wasn't right, but she didn't say anything. She was willing to wait on the other girl to explain in due time. She silently cursed herself out for ever thinking the girl was a bitch, but there was no need for that. The girls were fine now.   



	4. Eh and she is?

Chapter 4

Classes had finally started back for all the girls. No one dreaded going to class more than Alex. She had no idea where any of her classes were or who any of the students and teachers were. The alarm clock sound loudly as Alex and Rachel jumped out of bed as quickly as possible, neither girl saying a word. Rachel was never the morning type and within few days Alex learned that. She had learned that the girl got up stretched a bit and then entered the bathroom to do her morning rituals.

Alex on the other hand always entered the bathroom after she woke up. She was never one that could hold her bladder. It must have been something that she inherited from her "beloved" mother. She always had her morning pee before reaching the sink. She always seemed to run into the same rude girl, but never spoke to her. She made it her job to not in the way of the other girl.

Each morning she realized that she girl always appeared to be wide awake. It seemed that she never got any sleep. She hid the dark circles well underneath pounds of make up. The thing that stood out the most were her colorful highlights in her hair. The red and blue colors gave her the stand-offish vibe and Alex didn't want to cross any boundaries. She always watched the other girl but never said a word. She knew the girl was aware of her audience. She was probably just too proud to say anything.

Alex quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth as she felt that she was taking too long. She entered her room to find Rachel still stretching. The girl took at least 15 minutes to stretch each morning. She told Alex that it was a great way to get her energy boosted, and that would make a lot of sense if it weren't for the fact that she seemed to rush through breakfast each morning to go back to sleep.

Alex changed her clothes quickly and put on her khaki skirt and Lakeshore polo shirt. She soon realized that getting ready for class every day was going to be fairly effortless. She no longer had to contemplate what she was going to wear anymore. That had to be a benefit, right?

Rachel and Alex finally completed their morning rituals in a reasonable amount of time for the first day back to class. As they walked down the hall they realized the rest of the girls were taking entirely too much time.

"So today is the day." Rachel said speaking her first words to the girl. Alex simply nodded as they continued to walk towards the cafeteria. "You nervous?"

"Nervous... no." Rachel looked at her surprised. "Disappointed... yes. It's school for heaven's sake." She said. They both chuckled lightly.

"You know we're probably not going to be seeing a lot of one another right?"

"Really why's that?"

"Well I will be taking a lot of AP courses. And I am assuming you're not right?"

"I was tempted, but that'd satisfy my parents too much." They both chuckled once again. "So no we won't be seeing each other."

They finally entered the cafeteria to find Whitney and Stephanie already seated at their usual table. Stephanie seemed less cheery than usual and Whitney was just being Whitney. There was no way to describe that girl.

Alex found herself slightly amused to find all the girls dressed the same. She knew they would be, but it was still amusing nonetheless.

"Morning." Steph said as they reached the table. Alex and Rachel both nodded showing they're acknowledgement. "What classes do you guys have?"

"Ummm I have Physics first, Trig second, and then I have English Comp last..."

"You only have 3 classes Alex?" Steph said surprised.

"Yup...I just have to get my main things out of the way. I'm already good to go on electives."

"Well I have a pretty good feeling that we will have physics together." Alex simply smiles and continued to eat her oatmeal that seemed more chunky than it was supposed to be. "I would ask you what you've got Rach, but I am not ready to feel stupid. Class hasn't even started." They all joined in laughter except Whitney.

The bell sound loudly as all the girls dispersed to their rightful locations. Alex followed Steph to her first class. Surprisingly her first 2 classes went by fast. She was impressed by how relieved she felt. She finally entered her last class of the day. She knew that in exactly an hour she was free to do whatever she wanted to do. She knew that they wouldn't really have any homework just yet.

Class quickly began without her ever getting a chance to catch her breath. A small woman stepped to the front of the classroom. She soon learned that the woman before her would go by the name Ms. Reeves all year long. She began to wonder if the woman had ever been married or if she just felt the irrelevance of the matter and chose Ms. instead of Mrs.

"I realize that you guys are just starting back, but I need to make sure that you have your summer reading done before class on Friday. For those you that do not enjoy reading I am sorry, but it is a must!"

She continued to speak to the class and Alex quickly began to scribbled down the notes that were on the overhead projector. She wanted to make sure that she went undetected her first day of class. She knew that things would change in due time but today wasn't the day for change. She wanted nothing better than to be by herself.

"Hey you got some smokes?" The blonde asked turning around. Her blue streaks were now becoming evident. She would have noticed this girl from anyway. She was the same girl she saw every morning for the past week. She was also the same girl that had gotten an attitude with Rachel for no reason.

"Excuse me?" She asked timidly as she unconsciously bit her bottom lip.

"You deaf? I asked if you have any smokes?"

"Oh... Uh... no..."

"Of course you don't."

"Excuse me?" Her voice became a little raised as she fought to contain herself. She didn't want to come off as rude.

"Oh don't act so surprised." She said with a pout of mockery crossing her face. "Hon really... look at you."

Mrs. Reeves quickly noticed the brunette getting slightly flustered by the blonde seated in front of her.

"Miss Michalchuk... do you mind leaving Alex along long enough so they both of you can finish your notes?"

"Whatever." She plainly said before turning around to face the blackboard before her leaving Alex dumbfounded.

The last bell for Alex rang loudly moments later as the blonde rushed out of the class. Alex couldn't help but become slightly intrigued by the girl. Every encounter she had with the girl wasn't the most pleasant, but was definitely enough for her to want to see what was going on.

Alex made her way back to her room to find Rachel and Stephanie both sitting in front of the computer. Neither of the girls had really been aware of the girl until she closed the door behind her.

"Hey Alex!" The girls said in unison.

"Hey."

"How was your first day of class?" Stephanie asked nicely. She actually seemed to be genuinely concerned. It didn't seem fake like she was used to.

"It was pretty good. I mean I have a lab report due for physics in two days. But you already knew that."

"Who do you have?" Rachel asked.

"I think her name is Mrs. Stevens... but I don't know."

"That's awesome! I had her last year! You guys are going to have an interesting year to say the least." Rachel said.

"Yeah speaking of interesting... I keep running into this girl. I think I saw you talking to her the other day."

"I dunno who you're talking about. I talk to a lot of people." Rachel said as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Some girl with Blonde hair... and blue streaks... I think her last name is something like... Mikelchuk or something like that."

Both Stephanie and Rachel immediately stopped what they were doing. They turned from the laptop to face her. They mouths were hanging open. In the words of Simon Cowell, "one could drive a car through the opening."

"I am guessing you both know her well." She said amusingly.

"Yeah... we do." Stephanie said before getting up from the chair. "I uhhh I have something I need to do. I'll see you guys around."

"Do you really have to?" Rachel said trying to get her to stay.

"Uh yeah... you know how things are." She said nearing the door. "Have fun Rach." She said sarcastically.

Alex couldn't help but be alarmed by the fact that Stephanie left at the mention of the girl. She knew that the other two girls knew something that she didn't. She waited patiently on the foot of her bed as she removed her shoes for Rach to recover herself. The shoes dropped loudly to the floor bringing the other girl back from her own world.

"Alex I think it's time that we have a talk." Rach said shakily.

"Ok Rach. What's up?" She asks while making herself comfy on her bed after having taken her shoes off.

"Paige Michalchuk well uhhh... she is someone that is not to be messed with. She's... how do I say this so you'll understand..." She hesistated a moment to see if the other girl was following her, which she wasn't. She decided against the subtle approach. "Oh fuck it. She's a roaring bitch! She's manipulative and worse she's the school's tramp."

Alex didn't know how to respond. She was completely dumbfounded. She could definitely tell that the girl was a bitch, but she couldn't see how the girl was any of the other things. She just sat there pondering what she was just told.

"Look Alex... You seem like a nice girl, so I just thought I would worn you in advance."

"Warn me?"

"Paige likes to break in the new girls."

"Break them in?"

"Are you that daft?"

Alex's face turned red on cue. Rachel couldn't help but feel bad for hurting the girl's feelings.

"Look I am sorry. I just don't want you to end up like every other girl."

"What do you mean like every other girl? And how does she break them in? Is she like a bully?"

Rachel let out a sigh realizing this was going to be difficult explaining this to the girl. She could continue to beat around the bush or start to be completely forward with her.

"Look she's a the school whore. She sleeps with all the new girls. She breaks them in. She makes them all attached to her and then she leaves them flat on their ass. The girl has no heart!"

"Oh..." Alex couldn't muster anything else.

"Yeah on that note. You ready to get dinner. We can leave campus for dinner if you'd like. I know there is this really cool place by the river that serves great pizza."

"Sure sounds great." She said plainly not able to take her mind off information about Paige.


	5. Billy and Canada

Chapter 5

Alex and Steph both both entered the classroom together. On a day to day basis they sat beside each other. If anyone were to ever take either of their seats the other would possessively take the seat back. Alex realized that she had made the right decision in becoming friends with Steph and Rach. No one ever messed with her. She wish she could say the same for the tempature of the classroom. The sweater she had the wear to class everyday was not helping her case. She felt the nylon sticking to her neck only adding to her frustrations.

She was unaware of anything that was going on in the class. The heat was not helping her case any. She was completely out of it. She was trying to pay attention to the subject at hand, but the Mrs. Stevens' voice became very monotonous and she couldn't stay focused. She knew the lecture had something to do with the chain reaction of mixing compounds or something to the effect of that. She deserved brownie points for having some kind of idea of the discussion at hand.

She quickly placed her ear buds in her ears and started listening to her I-Pod. She knew they weren't allowed in class; however, she really could not care less. She knew that she would ultimately shoot herself in the foot or something if she didn't entertain herself. She finally took her paper out and started doodling. The only thing she seemed to excel at these days artistically was her simple doodles. She attempted to allow the pen to guide it's self as it once had; however, she soon learned that she was getting.

Steph seemed to have other things in mind as well. She was writing some sort of poetry while Mrs. Stevens was talking the class. She was easily unamused and chemistry only made that easier. She tried her hardest to listen most days but she never succeeded. Her mind was elsewhere. She and Rach had already made plans to go out that night and she couldn't help but get excited. The girls hadn't had the chance to leave campus since going to Gondoliers Pizza.

"Alex... hey Alex!" Steph said as she continued to try to get the other girls attention. It seemed to have taken at least 30 seconds to get the girl to come out of la la land.

"Sorry... I spaced out for a second." She said removing the ear buds from her ears.

"I noticed what was that about?"

"My music was a little loud and I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Nothing in particular."

"If you say so Canada."

"Canada?"

"Yup Canada."

"Haha nice..."

"Anyway what are you doing tonight?"

"I am actually finishing up my chemistry assignment."

"Uh no you're not."

"Ok so what am I doing?"

"You're going to this party with Rach and I tonight. I think Whitney might be there but it doesn't matter. It's not like the damn girl will talk anyway."

"Hmmm I dunno..." She says shyly.

"Come on..."

"Alright fine I'll go."

"Yeah that's what I thought Canada." She says with a wink.

Hours later the girls had finally arrived at the party. Around every corner it seemed as if everyone were involved in some sort of dry humping. It nearly made Alex run the opposite way. She had been to a few parties in Toronto, but nothing like this. She saw one girl from her class up against a wall with some guy. She almost lost her lunch at the sight. She had always thought that Raimona was a good girl, but she obviously wasn't.

Steph and Rach seemed to not be bothered by any of it. She really hoped that she would be near them nearly all night. She didn't want to be pestered by any of the annoying guys that were groping the girls around her.

"Ey... Canada you want something to drink?" Steph asked as she made her way to the keg of beer.

"Uh yeah sure. Anything cold is fine." She said absentmindedly.

Rach seemed to have made her way over to a girl that she had seen around campus. They seemed like really good friends. She had never seen the two talk to each other before, but they were very acquainted with one another.

She noticed the familiar blonde across the room. Paige could stand out in any environment regardless of the situation. She was dancing with some girl that she had never seen before. She didn't seem to be enjoy herself very much, her actions showed total disinterest. She appeared to be going through the motions. The other girl had her hands wondering feverishly over Paige's body. The girl just stood there allowing it to happen. If she really didn't want this to happen why was she allowing it?

Breaking her train of thought Steph stepped beside her.

"Here's your drink." Steph said handing her a plastic cup.

"What's in here?"

"Just drink it. Stop worrying so much." The girl looked at her nervously. "Trust me I didn't put a date rape drug in there or anything if that's what's got you so worked up."

Alex smiled at her friend. She knew that Steph could make light of any circumstance. She slowly took a sip of her drink. She was surprised to that it didn't taste nasty.

"What is this?"

"If I tell you. I'll have to kill you." She said smirking at her. "Where'd Rach go?"

"Ummm she walked off with that chick in our Chem class... I can't remember her name?"

"Oh... ummm Kimberly?"

"I think that's her name." The brunette looked at her friend who seemed to be gulping her beer down quickly. She shrugged it off trying to not think into it too much. The two were best friends and Steph was just disappointed to not hang out with her.

"Oh ok that's cool." She said awkwardly. "So do you see any cute guys here tonight?"

"Not really. They all seem like dogs."

"That's because all guys are like that."

"I wouldn't say all of them. There are some really nice ones out there."

"I bet..." She says before realizing that her friend only had eyes for one person in the room. "That's why you're eyeing the wicked witch of the East then?"

"I thought it was the wicked witch of the west?"

"Uh no not in her case... We're on the east coast and she's a bitch." They both giggle at her logic. "But this has nothing to do with that. You can't keep your eyes off of her."

"What?" Alex said startled. She was looking at Paige, but she wasn't going to admit to it. Steph would never let her hear the end of it. "What? I wasn't looking at her?"

"Yeah... you keep telling yourself that babe."

"What I really wasn't."

"You don't need to convince me of anything. I could give a rat's ass."

"Well ok then." She says taking a long sip of her drink.

"She isn't bad to look at though."

"Uh... I don't know what you're talking about." Her cheeks suddenly matching the red shirt she is wearing.

"I bet you don't."

The two of them continue to talk a bit while enjoying the view of everyone making an ass of themselves. Steph knew what was to be expected and yet she still continued to join the idiots and binge drinking habits. Most times she was content at sitting on the steps and watching looking at the stars with her beverage in hand. Tonight she actually had someone to enjoy things with. She enjoyed the girls company.

"Hey you want to go outside?" She asked plainly.

"Yeah please. There is only so much more of this my stomach can handle."

The girls walked outside and sad quietly on the step. She almost felt like she was back home. The stars shown brightly and the air was crisp. She loved the fact that she couldn't see street lights or anything. As much as she enjoyed the view at the school, this was so much better. It was like they had they were in their own world.

"So we really haven't gotten to chance to talk like this... how are you liking the states so far?"

"I really haven't noticed a difference. I mean sure you all say certain things differently but for the most part... it's not that different."

"Oh well alrighty then." She said. "You know I am not really a New Yorker myself."

"Really?"

"Nope I moved here from Athens."

"Greece? You don't look Greek." They both start laughing.

"Wow... uh no. Athens, Georgia."

"That I wouldn't have predicted."

"Why not?"

"Because you don't say ya'll, mater, tater and stuff like that." She said in her best southern accent. The two enjoy a short laugh once again.

"Stereotypical much?"

"Haha no. But I've always wanted to say that. That's how they sound in the movies." She said before taking a gulp of her drink feeling the tingling feeling that she had always read about in books. She was now tipsy for the first time in her life.

"So what is Georgia like anyway?"

"Well it's green unlike most places here. There are a lot of cows... and that's about it."

"Nice. You guys run around barefooted all the time and sing kumbaya?"

"You know what Canada?" Steph says trying to intimidated her. "Oh fuck it I give up. You're not funny though."

"Haha if you say so Billy."

"Billy?"

"Yeah Hillbilly." She said showing all her teeth.

"You better be glad, I like you Canda. Them is fighting words woman."

"Whatever Billy I am not scared of you." She said trying to appear serious. The two soon joined together in laughter. The two both continued the banter back and forth. Alex had to admit enjoyed being around the other girl. She soon realized that she had finally made real friends as she took a last sip of her mystery drink.


	6. Oh The Issues

Chapter 6

Alex pulled her arms closely as she felt the cold front moving her way. She sat quietly outside in front of the fountain doing her homework. She watched as the water ran swiftly run down the sides of the fountain. She She knew this was the only place that she would have total peace and quiet. If she were anywhere else on campus she would have to deal with the other students. Majority of the others would get underneath her skin. In her room, she'd have to hear Stephanie and Rachel arguing or laughing about the most random stuff. She was not in the mood to hear about which girl had the tackiest outfit on earlier, or who Rachel was considering going out with over the weekend. The two could go on endlessly about the weather if they were lacking in conversation. She had absolutely no problem with them doing that, but when she was in "work mode." She didn't want any distractions. She pulled out her book and began to read, "Pride and Prejudice." She knew that was the best book to read since she'd already watched the movies.

She was so wrapped up in her book that she failed to hear the footsteps behind her. If she had turned around, she would have met the familiar blonde. The highlights that were in her hair were beginning to slowly fade. Her hair hung loosely above her shoulders. Her cheeks appeared slightly pinker than usual due to the wind chill. The girl walked towards her slowly trying not to startle her. She found Alex's peacefulness enduring. After what seemed like several minutes, she finally decided to speak and make her presence known.

"Hey there cutie what are you doing?" Paige said flirtatiously.

"Reading." Alex said as simply as possible looking up but avoiding the other girl's eyes.

"Well I know that but why are you sitting out here in the cold?"

"It's really not all that cold. You New Yorkers don't know what's cold. " She answered without looking at the girl. She had heard stories and she refused to allow herself to get close to the girl. She didn't know what her intentions were but Alex didn't want to be apart of whatever the girl had in store for you.

"Oh really? So you're not from New York then. That's cool."

Generally Alex would have at least attempted to nod or something, but in this case she said nor did nothing. She knew that she would never be with the girl, that was just it, she was a girl. Alex knew without a of a doubt that she liked boys. She always had and she always would. Something about the blonde intrigued her. She wasn't sure if it were the rumors she had heard or the way nothing seemed to faze her. She of course never noticed the way the light reflected in her eyes only making them that much more beautiful.

"You really don't talk a lot do you?" Paige asked as the girl continued to read her book. "Ok I'll take that as a no."

"Look I don't want to be rude, but I have to finish up my reading assignment. I am behind the rest of you all." Alex placed the book down to look at 

"I'm sorry. I'll let you be. See you in class, Nunez." The blonde said before walking off.

Paige couldn't really tell what bothered her most, the fact that the girl had blown her off, or the fact that she actually cared at all. She was used to girls throwing themselves at her. Alex was the total opposite. She found the girl intriguing and wanted to learn more about her. Most girls would die for an opportunity to speak with her. It wasn't an egotistical issue, but it was a known fact. Alex wanted nothing to do with her. She was torn between giving the girl the space she wanted and actually persistently getting to know her. She didn't want to force the girl to speak to her but she also didn't want to sit back on the sidelines. Paige quickly made her way back towards her dorm room. She had to pass through the breeze way in order to get there.

Rachel had been standing in the breeze way of the chapel. She watched Paige approach Alex in her casual manner. She hated the fact that Paige took advantage of the new girls. Most of the time the girls would fall head over heels in love with her. She would nearly do anything to get them in bed even if it meant promising them the world. Rachel walked directly to Paige. The image of the two interacting angered her more than she believed possible. She didn't like the the fact that Paige seemed to be taking any notice in Alex. There were plenty of other new girls that Paige could speak interact with, why did she feel the need to do so with Alex?

"Back the Fk off Paige!" Rachel angrily said as her eyes met the blonde's.

A smirk quickly crossed Paige's face. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb! Just let her be." Rachel's patience were running thin with her girl.

"Or what?" She asks attempting to get a rise out of Rachel. "What are you going to do Gable?" Rachel stands there looking at her.

Rachel let out a sigh of aggravation. "Just leave her alone! She's my friend."

"What makes you think I want something from her?" Paige's determined voice slowly began to rattle but she recovered herself quickly.

"Because you always fucking want something from someone Paige!"

"That is not true!"

"You know damn well that is the truth! You can't just be someone's friend! You have to get in their goddamn pants!"

"Well you didn't complain did you?"

"This isn't about us! This about her! That girl has feelings. So I repeat... back the Fk off!"

"Whatever Gable I don't have time for this childish shit. If I didn't know better. I'd think you had a thing for the girl."

Paige walks off leaving Rachel frustrated. It seemed the other girl always knew just the right thing to say to set her off. Paige and Rachel had attended the same school for the past 4 years, so if any of the students knew her best it was in fact Paige. She hated to admit that, but it was the truth. The two had once been close. They were in fact inseparable, but sometimes one has to grow apart to grow up.

She hadn't even thought twice about her roommate. How was it possible that remotely interested in her. Sure she was nice looking. She had an interesting sense of humor and she managed to catch on to things fast, but that was the extent of it. She didn't want the girl. Did she?

Alex silently hugged herself as she sat back in an attempt to continue reading her book. She was too overwhelmed with the interaction between Rachel and Paige to join Rachel as she saw her walk off sadly.

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Rachel reached for her cell phone and texted the one person she could always count on. Within moments Stephanie was making her way towards her. She noticed the girl had taken up her smoking habit again. What was it with people and their cigarettes? She never understood the sensation of them. The one time that she had attempted to smoke, she'd ended up choking. It wasn't a pretty sight. Her lunch ultimately ended up on Paige's shoes that day . Paige thought if they were to smoke it would increase their level of coolness with the other girls. Since then she had told herself that smoking wasn't for her.

"You rang? Or rather you texted?" Steph asked plainly.

"Yeah I was just wondering..." She began to look at her feet nervously. "I dunno... If you wanted to go out tonight or something." Rachel finally managed to say.

"Sure when don't I want to get off this god forsaken campus?" The auburn haired girl said trying to relieve her friend's discomfort. She knew something was wrong with her, but she didn't push the issue.

"Your brother still in town?" Rachel asked emotionlessly.

"Uh yeah..." She raised an eye brow warranting a huge grin from her friend. "Why do you ask? You're obviously up to something." She knew her friend far too well.

"Well you think he and Alex would hit it off or something?"

"Are you trying to set them up?" She realized the question was dumb after she asked. "Of course you are." She said shaking her head. "I think Tristan would like her, but I don't know if it would go both ways."

"Why not?" The blonde asked far too quickly.

"Because I think she has eyes for someone else." Steph said looking away, hoping her friend would drop the subject, and knowing she had already said too much. She was relieved to find her friend had let it go.

"Oh. Well we should set them up this weekend." She said cheerfully.

"If you say so. I'll talk to him tonight. And you can talk to her." The auburn haired girl felt like it was a bad idea from the start, but didn't say anything. She only wanted to know what her friend's motives were. She didn't question them out loud. She simply smiled. "Well speaking of tonight. What are we doing?" She asked changing the subject.

"Well, we could go get loaded." She said smiling. She saw her friend wasn't amused. "Alright fine we could just go see a movie. I know Goodluck Chuck is out and I am definitely willing to pay money to see Invisible Girl in her undies."

"God you're so gay!" Steph said barely able to contain herself.

"Can you blame me? I mean the woman has killer abs! And oh my god... perfect sized breasts. She's hot!"

"And here I actually thought you weren't shallow..." Steph said with a smirk. Earning a punch in the shoulder. "Ouch woman. Alright that's what we'll go see then. I am going to get ready." she said as she started walking off with an overwhelming uneasy feeling. She could tell something was not right.


	7. Nice, but boring

Chapter 7

Alex dangled her feet off her bed looking out the window thinking about the argument she had observed less than an hour ago. She couldn't quite put a finger on the way Paige and Rachel were interacting with one another. She felt the Rachel was entirely too territorial of Paige. The pent up sexual tension was something she found interesting, but if Rachel wanted to keep things to herself, she'd allow her to. There were too many secrets she wasn't yet willing to reveal.

As she continued to look out the window she noticed the wind was blowing swiftly causing the beautifully colored leaves to fall on the ground effortlessly. The oranges and yellows were all mixing well. In a matter of weeks the trees would be bear as the winter was nearing. The temperature had already dropped greatly and it wasn't even winter.

Rachel flipped through the pages of her magazine as she so often did as a daily ritual. She had a habit of quizzing anyone within 5 feet of her when she came across one of the quizzes. One would be lucky to find Rachel actually reading something that she could gain greater knowledge from.

"So what are your plans for this weekend, Alex?" Rachel asked as she looked up from her magazine.

She realized she didn't have any plans at all. She had originally planned on going to the local library and get some research done. "I really don't have any." She said plainly. She noticed a huge smile cross her roommate's face. "Why what's up? You've obviously got something in mind."

"Well... you know, Steph and I were talking today about her brother. It so happens that he is in town for the weekend." She responded raising a suggestive eyebrow that the brunette didn't follow causing her to wonder which of the two were truly the blonde. "Well we thought it would be really cool if you two kind of went out..." Her voice level decreased by the moment to almost a whisper. "So we kind of took it upon ourselves to set you up on a date with him."

"You did what?!" She wasn't really upset just surprised. She had read about blind dates, but this would definitely we a first for her.

The blonde nodded at her nervously. "Yeah we did. So you have a date tomorrow night..."

"Great..." She groaned not looking at her roommate anymore.

"So you're not too upset are you?"

She shook her head and couldn't help herself from smiling at the blonde.

"Good." Rachel smiled brightly. "I'll have you know. You won't be disappointed. Tristan is very cute and a total sweetheart. He isn't like any of the asses in town!"

"Uh ok..." She was a bit confused. "If he is so great, why aren't you dating him."

Rachel's naturally rosy face turned extremely pale. She was able to recover herself fast. "Well because you don't date your best friend's brother. That's like an unwritten law, like not dating your best friend's exes."

Alex quickly understood. It was true. Things could really get awkward if you were dating either the ex or the brother.

"So you're game?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"Yeah I am game..." She said tossing the nearest thing to her at her roommate, which happened to be her favorite teddy bear.

The two returned to their comfortable silence for several moments before Alex exited the room to get ready for bed. As she entered the restroom she noticed the blonde that always seemed to occupy it as she did. She felt the Paige's eyes burning holes in her. She tried her hardest to ignore her but the girl's presence was strong.

She began brushing her teeth in attempt to take her mind off the girl who appeared to be so adamant in annoying her and making her life difficult. She glanced at the other girl who seemed to be enjoying the effect she was having on her. It only bothered her more knowing that the girl had that much power over her and knew it too. After brushing her teeth quickly she exited the bathroom, refusing to look at the girl before leaving. This sort of thing had become a nightly ritual, a pointless battle of power between the two.

---------------------

The following day things ran smoothly for Alex. She was a bit more excited about the date than she originally thought she would be. Her last class was winding down as Ms. Reaves stood in front of the class trying to get everyone's attention. The girls were unusually chatty. She needed for them to get their assignments completed as quickly as possible. She had too many complaints concerning her sixth period class. The students were exceptional. They were all brilliant, but none of them ever finished their assignments.

Paige waltzed into the class as if she owned it several moments after the bell sounded. She smiled at her teacher before taking a seat.

"Ms. Michalchuk, is there any reason why you weren't in my class before the bell?"

Paige pretended to ponder the thought long and hard, "Not really. Blame it on Mr. Beethoven. It's not my fault that he constantly drools." Everyone laughed at the girl. "I should make him buy me a new shirt." She repulsively looked down at her shirt, showing a wet spot right above her breasts.

"How many times do I have to tell you that you're music instructor's last name is Brethren not Beethoven."

"Hmm... I don't know depends on when if he ever stops playing Für Elise and drooling like the dog." She said smiling earning another animus laugh from the class.

Ms. Reaves smiled despite herself. The girl always had a way of turning everything into a laughing matter. "Alright after that rude interruption. Can we continue?" The girls groaned before nodding their heads. "Alright, everyone continue the assignment on the board. If you have any questions let me know."

The girls were all supposed to write a short essay about the pros and cons of inflation. Ms. Reaves wanted to know if the girls had any thoughts about politics and the economy.

"Oh well if it isn't Gable's lap dog." Paige snarled as she noticed the brunette behind her as she took out her pen to begin writing.

Alex rolled her eyes at the girl and said nothing. She didn't feel the need to get into an argument with the girl. Her mind was set on the date she had to be ready for in less than 4 hours.

-------------------------

Rachel soon became frustrated with her roommate. The girl had to be the most indecisive person she had known. She didn't think anyone could outdo Steph, but the brunette had her beat hands down. Alex had a pile of clothes lying in front of her bed.

She had taken off every outfit for the most bizarre reasons. She couldn't find something that she felt right in. The clothes were either too skimpy, too conservative or entirely over the type.

"Alex it really isn't that serious! You've tried on like 20 outfits. Seriously!" Rachel attempted to speed her roommate up as she watched her pace across her room frantically. "You know Tristan doesn't really care about that kind of stuff."

Alex only glared at the blonde before continuing to run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. She hadn't really ever been on a real date before, but she wasn't about to tell her that.

"Ugh... girl why don't you just put on a nice pair of Jeans and a nice sweater. It's not that serious!"

Alex pondered for a second. She may actually have a point. She could keep it casual and still look nice. She finally opted to wear her light jeans with her favorite black sweater. It was simple and yet it maintained it's own personal eloquence.

"What do you think about this?" She inquired holding the outfit up to her roommate.

"It looks perfect. Now hurry up! He'll be here shortly."

Alex took off the black slacks she had originally been wearing to change into the jeans. Jeans were definitely more in her comfort zone. She was pleased with her choice. Luckily she was only in bra, so the transition into the sweater was simple. She walked into her closet and brought out her black boots. She quickly put them on. She really couldn't deal with hearing Rachel nag her anymore.

Several moments later she was fully dressed. She smiled at herself as she looked in the mirror. Even she couldn't deny how nice she looked. She made her way out of the room to brush her teeth and just her luck the annoying blonde was coming out of the one the stalls.

"Great..." She groaned to herself.

The blonde smirked at her "What was that Nunez?"

"Nothing. Can you like... I dunno not talk to me?" She asked rhetorically as she put tooth paste on her toothbrush.

"Where would the fun in that be?"

Alex ignored her and proceeded to brush her teeth. She didn't have time to get upset with the girl. She had more important things on her mind. Paige washed her hands slowly as she scrutinized over the girl out of the corner of her eye. She was only used to seeing the girl in her skirt and blouse, and sometimes in her pajamas. She gulped and looked away before the girl caught her staring.

Rachel obnoxiously entered the bathroom glaring at the blonde, "Ugh... you're in here. I thought there was a sign somewhere forbidding animals or something."

"Yeah you're right, that's why I still don't get how they let a bitch like you in here." Paige snapped glaring back at the girl.

"Whatever Paige. I don't have time to argue with the likes of you. I have better things to be doing."

"Yeah? Like who Stephanie?" Paige asked smirking as she waited for the girl to respond. She enjoyed getting under Rachel's skin. It was one of those things that always brightened whatever bad day she may have been having.

Rachel nearly responded but was stopped by the brunette, "Both of you shut up! Why don't you just have sex and get it over with?! God!"

Both blondes looked away from each other uncomfortably. "Steph called and said her brother would be here in a few. She and I are heading out." Alex nodded as she spit into the sink. "Alright well call me if you need anything." She smiled eagerly at the brunette before leaving the bathroom, but not before she got one last glare at the blonde.

Paige and Alex fell into an awkward silence. Alex silently was torn between wanting the blonde to stay or go. She couldn't put a finger on the feeling. A part of her wanted Paige to leave and not say one word to her. A larger part wanted the girl to say something, anything.

Paige walked towards the door trying to get away from the goody good. Something stopped her before she was completely out of the bathroom.

"Nunez, have a good night with Tristan. He's a nice guy, a bit boring, but nice nonetheless."

Alex narrowed her eyes at the girl, "uh thanks, I think." She stuttered as she watched the girl leave. She was left stunned.

Thanks to you guys that have reviewed and commented. It means a lot. It's the one thing that's keeping me going. :)


	8. Lap Dog

Chapter 8

Alex dragged the pencil across the paper as she tried to put the puzzle pieces together of the image in her head. She wasn't quite sure what the image was, but felt compelled to unravel the mystery. Her drawing had been put on the back burner since she had arrived at school and yet, the one time her inspiration had peaked she found herself unable to get a clear image. Her pencil continued to lazily drag on the paper as a small figure came into focus. The impression on the paper appeared to be the outline of a person; however, she couldn't sharpen the picture anymore as the knock brought her back from her trance.

She instinctively jumped off the bed as she heard the knock on the door. She placed the notepad underneath her bed and braced herself for the events to come. The knots in her stomach were only the beginning of what she knew would be an interesting evening. Her hand reached out to open the door yet before doing so, a familiar voice resounded in her head. _"He's a nice guy, a bit boring, but nice nonetheless." _ She quickly attempted to push the thought to back of her head trying to erase the image of the blonde.

She took one last deep breath and tried to ease the nervousness and it had dawned on her that she had never even met the guy and now he stood on the other side of the door. What if he didn't like her? What if he really was boring? She had a million questions; however, she decided to not let her uneasiness get the best of her. The blonde wasn't exactly the most credible resource. Instantly she found herself on autopilot as she opened the door slowly to find an equally nervous guy on the other side. It made her feel a bit better that he was in the same boat as she.

"Hey." He managed nervously as Alex opened the door. She smiled as she let him in the room. She had to admit he was a very attractive guy. His ashy blonde hair and blue eyes were enough to make any girl's heart melt. The nearly six foot tall guy looked as though he bad been dropped right off a branch of the Philippe Family-Tree.

She noticed he had something behind his back as he was fidgeting aimlessly. A slight redness crept across his cheeks as he pulled a bouquet of lilies from behind him. He silently hoped he hadn't gone overboard. It was indeed only their first date and he had no idea if there were more to come. "I got you these. I wasn't sure what your favorite flowers were."

She smiled as she examined him discretely taking the lilies from him. She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable. The situation was awkward enough in itself without any added stress. If he felt he was under interrogation or under a microscope it would only add to the tension. "These are beautiful. I love lilies." She smiled to herself noting his nervousness. "So what do we have on the books for tonight?" She asked trying to pull him out of his shell a bit. She was accustomed to being the shy one. This was a new experience that she found herself enjoying.

He nervously bit his lip before answering. "Uh well, I thought we would grab a bite in town and play it by ear after that." She was sure his lip was going to be sore by the end of the night from him biting it so much.

"That sounds like a plan." She offered him a smile as she made her way over to her closet hoping to find a vase or something comparable to put the lilies in.

--------------------------

The pair entered the only pizza parlor in town. The crowd seemed to be leaving just as they were entering which they were both appreciative to see. It would give them an opportunity to get know one another. Alex noted during their car ride that Tristan was out of his league. She wasn't even sure what that meant exactly, but the entire situation was out of his comfort zone.

Tristan walked towards a booth farther in the back of the restaurant but not before making sure that Alex had a say in where they were going to be seated. As they sat down they scanned over their menus slowly, both hoping ordering would buy them some time before the awkwardness crept up on them once again.

Once the waitress returned to the table the duo ordered their food. They both had decided on a slice of pepperoni pizza and a soda. It made things easy for the waitress as she took their menus and promptly arriving back with their drinks.

"So tell me a bit about yourself." Tristan said as the waiter took their menus away from the table. He slowly began to sip on his drink.

She noticed his nervousness was slowly going away. He seemed bolder now than when he'd first arrived in her room. "There really isn't much to tell. You know your typical story. Parents get slightly bored with their child and send them off to boarding school so they can do their own thing." A smile grew across his face as he took another sip and set his drink down.

He chuckled lightly, "Not quite what I was aiming for but I'll take it." Involuntarily she found her eyebrows rising questioningly. "No it's just I was just curious about hobbies and stuff." He stated the last part quietly showing his nervousness had returned.

"Oh...Well really I enjoy a little bit of everything. Anything that keep my attention." She said in a way to make it known there are no underlying meanings. "You know like tv shows and I enjoy reading." She ordinarily would have shared her passion for art, but held back for reasons unknown to herself. "What about you?" She inquired trying to take the spotlight off herself.

"I enjoy a number of things." He said taking another sip of his drink. "I enjoy skateboarding, I play guitar and I dabble a bit here and there in writing. I am actually in a band back home." He stated proudly.

She felt obligated to ask questions about his music, which for more reasons unknown she wasn't interested in at all. "Oh really? That's awesome. How long have you been playing?"

He smiled brightly, "My mother likes to joke that I came out of the womb playing, but I've been playing since I was 6. My father used to play so it's something I've been around my whole life."

She suppressed an eye-roll as she acknowledged that they were only 17 and he was talking as if he was 30. She nodded and allowed him the opportunity to continue to speak.

He proceeded to talk about his adventures with the band and his love for music as Alex only retained a minimum of what was being said. She only heard enough to be able to respond properly. Luckily for his disinterested companion, the food arrived shortly and the two ate in comfortable silence. She couldn't fathom why she wasn't interested in the boy. The boy was everything that most girls would want. He was cute, sweet, and he was in a band. Girls would kill for that kind of guy and yet she was letting him slip through her fingers without a second thought.

Her mind began to drift back to a certain blonde, and not the one seated in front of her. No, she thought about a certain tow headed female that she found herself becoming more drawn to by the second.

_"Oh well if it isn't Gable's lap dog." Paige snarled as she noticed the dark haired girl behind her as she took out her pen to begin writing. _

Had she really become her roommate's pet or was the antagonistic girl trying to get under her skin? Those words repeated over and over in her head.

Whether the girl was trying to provoke her in any sort of way she was right about one thing. Tristan was nice and boring there was no doubt about it.

---------------------------

Alex entered the bathroom and found herself relieved to find no one was in there. She was finally able to hear herself think without any interruptions. She hadn't had time to even really begin to think about what had happened on her date with Tristan. One minute things were going smoothly as they were enjoying one another's company and the next minute things went from bad to worse. She couldn't understand why she didn't feel the spark. He was everything she wanted in a guy and more, but as he dropped her off at her door she found she couldn't bring herself to kiss him.

Alex waltzed over the showers that were hidden from the main door to get her stuff ready. She stepped inside the stall and turned on the shower allowing the water a chance to warm up before she got in it. She reached her hand underneath the water to feel the coldness knowing it would take at least five minutes to warm up. She made her way back to the sinks to brush her teeth only to be met with the blue eyes that had yet to leave her memory. The two stared at one another before Paige broke the silence.

The blonde smiled nicely, "So Nunez. How was your date?" If Alex wasn't mistaken she actually seemed to genuinely care.

"It was nice."

"Just nice? Wow remind me to be a better date." She joked but soon wished she had kept the joke to herself when she saw Alex turn extremely pale. "Nunez... I'm kidding." The sudden redness in Alex's cheeks didn't go unnoticed by Paige causing her to chuckle lightly. "You really need to lighten up a bit. I was joking."

Alex smiled at the girl before looking down at the floor. All assertiveness she had earlier in the evening had disappeared as she melted into a puddle of goo. She wasn't even sure why this normally surly and uncommunicative individual had any kind of effect on her. She became self-conscious as she responded, "I know."

"Just making sure."

The two girls continued to stand awkwardly in front of one another, both trying to figure out what was going through the other girl's mind. Alex knew she was kidding herself by pretending that she didn't have any interest in Paige. The blonde intrigued her and she had yet to find out why.

"Well I have to take my shower." Alex said shyly as she walked towards the shower.

Paige nodded, "and I have to brush my teeth."

Alex nearly reached the shower before she heard Paige calling after her. "Hey Nunez." She said nothing as she turned to give the girl her attention. "Glad you had fun tonight."

The two shared a smile before continuing their tasks at hand. Neither girl could understand where the change had occurred but something had happened between them in a matter of a day.

-----------------------------------

Rachel and Steph were both in Rachel's room. The two were lying on her bed as they stared at the ceiling. They had found themselves becoming more comfortable with the other recently. The spent nearly every waking hour together causing their relationship to increase immensely.

"What are we doing this weekend?" Steph asked as she played with Rachel's teddy bear's hair. Rachel had received the bear from her parents just before she started school. Steph had named him Treat. There were no explanation behind the name. Ever since they had been compelled to call him Treat.

"I am not really sure actually. I was going to go and see a movie, but I don't know. Maybe we should just lay low and chill here." Rachel said thoughtfully. She really wasn't in the mood to hang out with any of the other girl's. She also didn't want to run into any of the losers from town. The guys would hit on anything with breasts.

Steph was never hard to please. She was simply content with sitting around watching old episodes of Dawson's Creek if it meant she had someone around. "Sounds good to me."

"Good." She said smiling at her friend. "So did Tristan say anything about Alex to you?" She asked trying to make conversation. She really wasn't interested in the two. She purely had nothing else to discuss.

The auburn girl tossed the teddy to the end of the bed. "Ummm he really didn't say much apart from the fact that she seemed uninterested"

"Ouch... that's gotta suck."

"Yeah I guess so, but I kind of already knew she wouldn't enjoy herself. He just didn't seem like her type." She said indifferently.

The blonde pressed her lips together not pressing the issue any longer. She didn't care about her roommate's love life or lack of one. "Oh... well alright then." She said picking up Treat and holding him close.

------------------------------

Alex anxiously bit the tip of her pen as she waited for the alarm to sound. She couldn't wait to get out of class. She didn't exactly have anything amazing planned. Anything was better than being seated in the tiny desk. She felt sorry for anyone taller than her. She was rarely thankful for her shortness, but while in class, she always found herself happy.

Ms. Reaves impatiently looked at her clock as she secretly willed time to speed up. Alex found it interesting. She wondered if her teacher had a hot date or something. The idea of her having a date wouldn't be far-fetched at all. The lady was barely out of her early twenties and had an amazing personality.

"Have a good weekend you guys. Be safe." She said loudly. As if on cue the bell sounded.

The girls hectically rushed out of her class. Some girls were shoving one another as they tried to make it through the door and others acted as if they were on the football playing. They simply ran the other girls down in attempt to get a touchdown. It was indeed the weekend. Most of them were either going to go home for the weekend or party with the locals. Some of them would be cooped up in their rooms trying to maintain their 400.00 GPA. Ok that may be an exaggeration, but the point is they were determined to keep their perfect scores, perfect.

"Alex do you happen to know where Paige is today?" She asked the only student left standing in her class.

She hadn't a clue where the girl could be found. She didn't know why it bothered her so much, but she had a feeling that the girl was not ok.

"Umm... No... why would I?" Alex responded trying to not draw any attention to herself.

"No reason... I just figured since you guys are on the same floor." Alex simply shook her head in the negative. "I'm just concerned. It's just unusual for her not to be here. She may not show up to a lot of her other classes, but English is her favorite subject." She soon realized she was saying too much about Paige.

"That's cool." She said grabbing her belongings trying not to prolong the conversation anymore than she had to. "I'll tell her you asked about her if I see her." She said nicely.

"Thanks Alex. Have a good weekend." She said nicely, only making Alex like her even more. She loved her class. It was the only other class besides art that she could stay awake for everyday. She nodded politely before walking out.

She exited class as normal. She stopped by her locker. She was going to go to her room to see what Rachel and Steph were doing. Instead she walked outside to find the missing girl. She didn't know what bothered her so much about the girl not being in class.

As much as everyone had tried to make her hate the girl she couldn't do it. She felt slightly drawn to the girl. The girl was a rebel without a cause. Alex was generally able to read people easily. The other girl was a mystery. There was something more to her.

Trying to understand Paige was like reading a book that you anxiously await until the end. You quickly read page after page wanting to get closer to the end. You may even be tempted to read the last page first, but in this case you can't. There is no cheating. The closer you get to the ending the more overwhelming the excitement becomes. Once you reach the end there are so many feelings you could be feeling. You could simply be content. You could be distressed because things didn't turn out the way you would have liked, or the worse feeling of all, detestation. You could simply windup hating the book. The journey could be much more exciting than the finale.

"Alex... Alex..." A familiar voice called her name. She looked back to meet an exceptionally cheerful brunette, who looked as if she had walked right out of a musical on Broadway.

"Hey Olivia." She said plainly not wanting to talk to the girl at all. Olivia Carlin was nice girl. She had to give her that, but she was entirely too upbeat for her liking.

The brunette smiled at her eagerly not taking a hint. "What are you doing this weekend? Some friends of mine are going into town and we're getting our Mani and Pedis done. You wanna come?" Every word coming out faster than a speeding bullet.

"Umm... you know... I actually have plans, but how about we hang out another time." She said faking a big smile at the girl.

"That sounds awesome!!" The cheerful girl said mechanically. Alex prepared to walk away before feeling the fervent girl's hand on her shoulder as she turned around. "Weren't you looking for Paige earlier?" She asked enthusiastically.

"How did you... I mean...uhm... not really, but have you seen her. I know Ms. Reaves was worried about her." Alex replied attempting to sound uninterested in the blonde that had clouded her thoughts.

Olivia didn't seem to care one way or another. She just wanted to help her friend out. "I heard you and Mrs. Reaves talking earlier. But I saw Paige about five minutes ago. She was heading towards the lake. I think there is a trail back there that she walks down all the time. I've seen her back there a lot." Alex found herself wanting to tell the girl to breathe as she spoke.

"Great." Alex said trying to hide her enthusiasm. "Thanks Olivia. We'll totally have to hang out some other time. Ok?"

"Awesome!! See ya Alex!"

"Bye Olivia." She said wondering why the girl was still in front of her.

"Later." Olivia said as she ran off nearly tripping doing so.

Alex shook her head trying to contain her laughter and rushed out 


	9. Just Go

Chapter 9

Alex soon found the path Olivia had directed her towards effortlessly. The path was wider than she had expected. A few bike riders passed by her going the opposite direction on the other side of the path as the leaves were rustled off the ground and swept towards her by the wind. The wind was blowing moderately fast, but not enough to make a drastic impact on temperature. The trees were covered in Autumn leaves. The oranges and yellows shone brightly. Alex was always more so a fan of Autumn and Spring than the other two seasons. They were the least extreme of the four. They were never extremely cold nor extremely hot. They were perfectly in the middle and she loved it.

She was amazed to see that she hadn't become out of shape as she hastily walked. Her breath maintained a stead pattern and she didn't feel as if her lungs were going to explode at anytime. She was more than thankful considering she hadn't been in a gym in months and the last time she had actually taken the time to run was when she was still in Toronto. Her pace quickened as she noticed someone in the distance. It didn't take her long to realize who it was. Paige made her way around farther into the woods. Alex had to try her hardest to keep up with the girl. She didn't want to intrude upon the girl. It was apparent that she didn't want company. She was only concerned with her well being.

Alex followed Paige deeper into the woods. She was really concerned about getting lost. Lucky for her, everything was a sure shot back. As long as she followed the path she couldn't get lost. The bike riders had worn the path in enough that it wasn't something that one could miss.

Paige stopped suddenly and turned into a path running perpendicular to them. She was going into a graveyard. The tall black gate was barely open. A small chain was wrapped around the still bars to keep the gate entrance in place. Paige had to squeeze her way into the gate. It was obvious that people in charge of the graveyard didn't want any visitors. It was understandable seeing as Lakeshore was less than a mile away from the premises. The place would be a mess if they didn't keep things locked up.

Alex was astonished when she saw the girl enter. She had no idea why the girl would be there. She knew the girl was weird, but this was a bit out of her norm. She maneuvered her way into the gate as Paige had done a minute before her. She didn't want to alarm the girl who was fighting so hard to be as secretive as possible. She followed distantly behind her until Paige stopped at a particular headstone. She knelt before the grave taking a huge breath.

Alex nervously glanced around her trying to give the blonde some privacy. She noticed that most of the other graves seemed to be disserted. The color gray soon became one as Alex noticed the rows of graves. There had to be over 500 headstones alone. The death totally made Alex feel sick to her stomach as she realized that she wasn't even including the number of unknown graves.

The grave that Paige paid her undivided attention to appeared to be the only grave that seemed well kept. Alex could tell by the maintenance of the grave that Paige ventured out into the woods often. The thought saddened her to no end as she heard Paige begin to speak quietly.

"Hey... sorry I haven't come by here lately." Paige said as she grabbed a rock nervously. "I have just been so off. You have no idea. You're supposed to be here to give me the advice and helping me with mom. Speaking of... she called me the day before yesterday. She was bitching as usual. I think she was trying to set me up on some date with the preacher's son. Psh..." She tossed the rock ahead of her. "When is she going to get it through that thick skull that I'm gay? Meaning I do not only prefer tits over dick, but I don't like dick at all. Ugh... Anyway... Mom is just mom... stubborn as hell. No wonder I am the way I am huh? Ha it'll be ok I am..." She abruptly turned around.

The sound of rustling leaves brought her back from her trance. She turned to face the brunette who had obviously been eavesdropping. "What the hell are you doing here?" Paige asked with every ounce of hostility as she stood up nearly tripping in the process. She was thankful for the balance she had always possessed.

Even when the girl was rude to her, she could only benevolently respond, "I was just going for a walk..." Alex knew it was a feeble excuse but she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"And you just ended up in a graveyard?" Paige asked as she stepped towards the girl and watched as the leaves beneath her feet crumbled.

"I could say the same to you." Alex responded as she stepped back away from the blonde.

"Look whatever Nunez..." Paige didn't want to say anything nasty to the girl for some reason. Ordinarily she wouldn't have thought twice. "Just go."

Alex obstinately glared at the girl. "It's Alex and no I am not going."

"So you do speak for yourself I see." The blonde said trying to deflect the matter at hand.

"And you... forget it... you show up to a random graveyard and that's so-called normal?" She immediately regretted her words. The girl was obviously dealing with a lot of pain.

"Fuck you! You know nothing about me!" Paige said angrily before her tone suddenly turned sad.

Alex shook her head sadly, "Maybe I want to."

Alex wasn't exactly sure where the words had from as they left her lips. Both girls were left stunned neither knowing exactly what to say to the other.

"Just go away. Like I said before you know nothing about me." She said wrapping her arms around herself. Each word the girl said became less hostile and more of a plea.

"And who's fault is that huh?" Alex quietly asked.

"Uhhh actually it's yours." She said recalling the day she was shot down by the fountain. Alex noticed the hurt in the girls eyes as she turned away from the brunette's gaze. Alex refused to be another one of the girl's statistics. Instantly she shook the thoughts. She wasn't even sure she was thinking of the girl in a manner that would lead her to being another notch on the girl's headboard. Whatever the reason was she couldn't stand seeing the blonde like this. Alex could tell that she had struck a nerve. The girl was indirectly letting her inside her world. "Why are you still standing here? Go."

"I already said I am not going anywhere." Paige turned to look at the girl. "Look I am sorry for before Paige."

"No you're not." Every ounce of stubbornness to follow.

"Yes I am!" The blonde appeared to be taken aback by the brunette's convection. "Can you honestly blame me though? You walk around acting like you own the school, when in truth... you're nothing like that."

"What do you know, Nunez?!? You just got here. All you know is what Gable tells you." Paige angrily spatted.

Alex's patiences was wearing thin. Paige definitely knew how to push people's buttons. It became apparent to Alex that the other girl had mastered the craft. "You're right, so what do you want from me?"

"Nothing absolutely nothing." Paige said looking down at her shoes avoiding eye contact. "If you're not going anywhere I am." She said storming off.

"Fine but I am still going to be here." Alex said softly. She didn't have it in her to turn away from the girl in her obvious time of need.

"Suit yourself."

"Hey Paige." Alex called after Paige to get her attention. She turned around one last time. "I don't just mean now. I'll be here for good."

"You should just listen to Gable and stay away." Paige said defeatedly. She didn't need the girls pity and she didn't need her friendship. She had been fine to this point. She needed no one or so she had always thought.

Alex shook her head sadly. "I am old enough to make up my own mind."

Alex thought she may have caught a smile cross the blonde's face, but she couldn't be too certain. She was too far away to be certain. She didn't have any idea what had just happened. She had gotten to see a side of Paige that no one gets to see. The brunette was left stunned. Alex walked towards the headstone and traced the letters.

Dylan Randall Michalchuk

1987-2005

Loving son and brother

"God what am I supposed to do?" Alex sadly asked out loud before heading back towards the dorms.


	10. Softy

Chapter 10

Several weeks had passed since Alex and Paige had last spoken to one another. They saw each other on a day to day basis, but neither had said anything to the other. Alex waited patiently. Something told her that Paige would come around, but another part of her highly doubted the possibility. Paige was the most stubborn girl she'd ever had the privilege of knowing. She found it both appealing and frustrating.

Alex laid on her bed taking a small nap before Rachel burst in, loudly talking on her cell phone, waking her up. Alex groaned and covered her head with the pillow in a feeble attempt to block out the sound. Alex couldn't understand what was being said at the moment. She couldn't have cared less. She just wanted her beauty rest before diving head first into her homework.

Rachel finally closed the cell phone and grinned broadly, noticing how annoyed the brunette girl was. "Alex... get up." She called across the room.

"I don't wanna..." Alex said removing the pillow from her head momentarily to glare at the other girl.

Rachel chuckled at Alex's whining. "Come on get up." She said as she walked over to Alex's side of the room. "Get. Up. Now." She stated carefully enunciating every word.

When the brunette wouldn't listen, she pulled the pillow off from her hands and proceeded to hit her on the head lightly until she obliged. Alex sat up within seconds. "Alright I'm up."

"Good. Now get ready we're going to the movies." Rachel cheerfully chirped.

Alex shook her head in frustration, "How many times have I told you that I can't." 

Rachel playfully shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, but once more wouldn't hurt would it?" She sighed in defeat once she realized the other girl wasn't going to respond.

Rachel and Stephanie had made plans to go to the movies. They had tried several times to get Alex to join them during the day, but she declined every time. They would have asked Whitney, but the girl always said no or rather just shook her head.

------------------------- 

Stephanie wrapped her arms around herself in attempt to warm up. The temperature was dropping more and more each day. The wind was blowing and causing her ears to freeze. Georgians were not used to this kind of weather. In all four years of being at Lakeshore Prep she still had yet to become accustomed to the weather. She was used to the inconsistency in the weather around November. One day it could be extremely hot and the next it could be freezing cold. One could never predict. 

She blithely walked through the breezeway towards the dorms. She had been excited about going out all week. She always enjoyed the weekends. It was the only time the girls at Lakeshore could get off campus for long periods of time. During the week the girls were allowed to spend approximately an hour, maybe two, give or take.

Quickly her attention was taken away from the events of the evening when she noticed someone ahead of her smoking. It didn't take long for her to recognize who the girl was. Paige sat on a small bench smoking the cigarette as she did most days.

"It's kind of nippy. What are you doing out here?" Stephanie asked in rather horrible attempt in making conversation. 

Paige inhaled the cigarette feeling the toxins fill her lungs. "What does it look like?"

Stephanie blushed lightly at her stupid question. She didn't know why she expected Paige to be any different towards her than usual. "Good point." She looked down at the ground contemplating what to say next. She opted to leave the girl alone. "Well anyway it's been nice talking to you." Stephanie said as she walked a few steps back. She was still facing the blonde.

"You too." Paige huffed. She put the cigarette out quickly. "You guys going to that party tonight at Brady's?"

Stephanie shook her head. "No Rach and I are going to the movies." Paige nodded her head feigned disinterest. "But Alex..." She noticed she instantly had Paige's attention at the mention of the girl's name. She inwardly chuckled. "She's staying in tonight."

Steph could have sworn she saw a slight smile cross Paige's lips, but it was gone before she could process it. "That's cool." Paige said plainly.

"See ya around Paige." She said fairly pleased that she had managed the converse with the girl and not had her head bitten off by her bitchiness.

Paige nodded her head before running off without another word. Steph chuckled as she felt like she had entered a parallel universe. Paige Michalchuk had actually been anything other than hostile. She also seemed overly interested in Alex which didn't pass the auburn haired girl at all.

------------------------ 

Rachel had tried on several outfits that night. Every article of clothing could be found in a tall pile in the center of their room. She had tried on her entire wardrobe. A few blouses had managed to land on Alex's bed which paid any attention to. Her nose was stuck in her Chemistry book. She had a lab to complete before the falling Monday. The one time she did look up she found herself overly amused to find the other girl putting so much effort in an outfit she was wearing out with her friend.

The blonde must have become comfortable with something because she finally sat on her bed putting on a pair of shoes. The black boots were nice looking. They went perfectly well with the checkered shirt and red top that she'd chosen.

"So are you sure you don't want to go with us tonight?" Rachel asked her roommate for the hundredth time that night.

Alex rolled her eyes at Rachel's antics. "No Rachel. I've already told you. I have a lot of work to do. I can't go out tonight."

Rachel attempted to put on her best pout, but it only caused the other girl to laugh. "Come on Alex." Alex shook her head in 'no' once again. "Please... I'll... I don't know. I'll do something..." Alex laughed a bit turning her attention back to the text book that lay in front of her. "Ooooh I know. I know I'll buy you some Reese cups from the vending machine."

Alex raised an eyebrow at the blonde who was now pacing across the room like a mad woman. "That'd be great if A I actually liked Reese cups and B I wasn't allergic to peanuts hence why peanut butter is probably not the best choice in sucking up." She let out a slight chuckle.

"I totally forgot that. Scheiße. You're right. I'm a horrible roommate." 

---------------------------

Alex had just completed her homework. She turned on the TV and flipped through a few channels. She knew that Rachel wouldn't be back till later on so she could enjoy watching Animal Planet without any kind of hassles. Rachel and Stephanie had decided to watch "Halloween" and Alex, who was never a fan of scary movies, had decided not to go. In truth, she was too scared to watch the movie and had used the lame homework excuse to get out of watching that movie.

Alex had taken out her Drawing Pad in attempt to draw something or anything for that matter. She failed horribly in the fight. She gave it up momentarily and took out the picture that she had started weeks ago. The same body outline was on the paper. She reached underneath the bed and grabbed her charcoal pencils. She wasn't able to comprehend what was going on at that moment, but she felt drawn to the figure. It lacked definition and detail. It lacked everything that made a picture and yet she began to draw on it. Soon she was comfortably lying on her stomach with her feet facing the headboard; completely engrossed in her drawing. The moments of her solitude were cut short and she was interrupted by an unwanted knock on the door. She tossed the drawing pad back underneath the bed. "Ugh." She groaned loudly. She didn't want to get up, but the knocking continued until she finally yelled. "Alright alright I'm coming."

She groaned one last time before she opened the door to find the intense turquoise eyes of a familiar face staring at her. She felt as if those eyes had the intensity to burn a hole through her.

"Hey..." The blonde said bashfully.

Alex couldn't wipe the confused grin across from across her face. "Hey..."

"I know you're probably wondering why I am knocking on your door. Right?" Paige asked while hugging herself. Alex had learned this to be one of the girl's nervous habits.

"Yeah the thought may have crossed my mind." The brunette said with a smirk crossing her face.

The two stood staring at one another for what seemed like hours, but if someone were to have timed it'd have only been seconds. "Are you going to invite me in?" Paige asked quietly. Her voice was nearly a whisper.

"Well that depends."

Paige nervously tightened the grip around her waist. "Depends on what?"

"Whether you're going to tell me why you're here or not." Alex responded as she propped herself against the door.

"You let me in and I will..." Paige cleverly stated as she began to regain some of her confidence.

"Uh uh...Nice try Michalchuk."

"Please?" Paige asked with the cutest puppy dog face ever. This would happen to be the first time Alex had ever heard that word come out of her mouth.

Alex caved in without having thought twice. She removed her arm from the door allowing Paige access into the room. She closed the door behind them and motioned for Paige to have a seat on the bed. Paige hesitated momentarily before following suit. She slowly sat beside Alex after a long debate with herself.

"So?" Alex said wasting no time. She was eager for the blonde to reveal herself. 

Paige's eyes wondered around the room nervously and finally fixated on the wall. The dullness suddenly became some what attractive to her. "So... I came here hoping for a chance?" She said quietly. Alex could tell it was taking everything out of her to be honest. She was quite amused, but she didn't let it show.

"What do you mean a chance?" Alex asked curiously.

"Look... I get it if you don't think I deserve one. I know we got off to a bad start, mostly my fault, but I want a chance to get to know you."

Alex looked around the room. "What's the catch?" She asked seriously before noticing Paige's discomfort. "Where are the cameras?"

Both girls chuckled nervously. "No catch and no cameras." Paige answered with a small smile.

"Really?" Alex asked disbelievingly.

"Scouts honor." The blonde said with her two fingers going through the motion. She and Alex both began to chuckle lightly.

"Alright in that case... " Alex said trying to find the remote. "You can watch this with me." She turned on the television to her favorite channel.

"Animal Planet?" Paige asked. Alex looked at her disappointedly and nodded. "No I actually love it. Just kind of sucks Steve Erwin isn't on there anymore... poor guy." She continued sadly. 

"Yeah I know right?" It took her a moment to catch on. "Wait a second..." Amusingly, Alex looked at the other girl who now seemed confused. "Paige Michalchuk enjoys Animal Planet?"

"I can't help it. I love Kangaroos. They're like my weakness or something..." She noticed the girl beside her grinning widely. "Shit... why am I even telling you this? You're going to use this as like ammunition or something aren't you?"

Alex nodded her head dramatically. "Yup I believe so. You're such a softy."

"If this gets out and I'll know whom to come after Nunez…. I mean Alex." The brunette smiled at the sound of hearing her own name. The girl really was making an effort.

"Alright whatever you say..." Alex said before mumbling. "Softy."

"I heard that." The blonde said before looking back at the screen. 

Both girls continued to sit on the bed in a comfortable silence, neither wanted to ruin the fragile moment between them, but Alex finally took the initiative to speak.

"Hey Paige..." The girl turned her head from the television to make eye contact with her. "You're nothing like I expected." Paige shrugged her shoulders and smiled as she tried to contain her bashfulness, but it overwhelmed her. She simply nodded and turned back to watch the show. To the outside world, the two could seem like they were old friends, but if one looked a bit deeper it was obviously the budding of an amazing relationship.


	11. Girls Night In

Chapter 11

Hours had passed since Paige had entered the room. It was now after midnight and neither girl was remotely tired. Paige knew it was time for her to leave, but she didn't want to leave the other girl. Despite her best efforts she really enjoyed being around Alex. Alex actually got her and that was rare. No one ever got her. She had fought so hard to keep everyone at arms length, but Alex effortlessly had torn the entire wall down. 

She wasn't sure what she wanted with the brunette. She smiled at herself as she watched Alex watching the television so intently. She was in her own world. Paige only understand one thing that was going on between herself and Alex. She knew she couldn't sugar coat things. She needed the girl and that was something she wasn't used to. She wasn't used to needing anyone or anything. After Dylan passed away four years prior, she had learned to solely depend on herself.

The two sat relatively close to one another. The only thing keeping them from touching was the small pillow between them. The two were too wrapped up in either their thoughts or the television to notice they were no longer alone. Rachel and Steph had entered the room without turning on the lights initially. Rachel had planned on grabbing her belongings and exiting as quickly as possible.

"Oh my gosh that part was so funny. I know I wasn't supposed to laugh, but it was funny." Steph said smiling from ear to ear remembering the part.

"You're so..." Rachel began to respond but was caught off guard by the visitor in her room. "What the hell are you doing in here?" Rachel said immediately looking at Paige. Alex instantly sensed the blonde's discomfort. They had made so much progress and she didn't want to see the girl retreat.

Paige quickly got off the bed and hastily made her way to the door. "Look I enjoyed watching this with you. I am just going to go before anything gets started." Paige said before she tried to slip out of the room. She gripped the handle tightly waiting for Rachel to let her have it.

Rachel let out a venomous chuckle. "Walk away Paige, that's what you're good at!"

"Rachel lay off of her." Alex said surprising herself.

"No Alex, this is between us." Rachel angrily stated pointing between herself and Paige. "I thought I warned you about her."

"She's old enough to make up her own mind about people." Paige said calmly as she released the handle turning to look Alex directly in the eye.

"I wonder if you'd say that if she knew the truth, huh?" Rachel raised an eyebrow as she smirked evilly at the other blonde.

"Gable..." Paige said with a death glare.

"You guys as much as I'd love to hear about all this again... I'm going to uhhh... I'm going to go do something." Steph said before she walked out of the room.

"Bye Billy." Alex called after her as the other girls eyed her curiously.

"See you later Canada." She said before fully exiting the room. 

"What's wrong Paige? You're suddenly not so tough are you?" Rachel asked the other blonde girl as she taunted her. 

Alex's anger was boiling over. She hated to see the two girls like this, but enough was a enough. "Rachel just let it go. Both of you, for that matter. I've had enough of this shit!" Alex said raising her voice. They both turned to look at her with wide eyes.

"She has really gotten to you hasn't she?" Rachel asked sadly.

"Nobody has gotten to me, but you two need to get over whatever happened in the past." 

"I can't..." Rachel replied as she fought back the tears.

"I'm gonna go. I'll see you tomorrow in class." Paige said as she tried not to look at Rachel. The tone of her voice was enough convection that she felt some sort of guilt.

"Rach... I am sorry." Alex said walking towards the girl and tried to comfort her.

"Don't." She said knocking Alex's arm away from her.

"Don't don't me." She said pulling the girl into a big hug. She felt the other girl give into her embrace and let her held her. Finally they sat down on Alex's bed still maintaining the embrace. She decided it would be best to wait for the other girl to open up to her. Rachel rested on the girls shoulder and cried. Alex wanted to take the girls pain away, because she was obviously going through something. She didn't know how to deal with any of this and she didn't want to push the girl either. 

Thirty minutes had passed and neither of the girls had said one word.

"I am sorry for being like this Alex." Rach said finally raising her head.

"It's fine. That's what I am here for Rach."

"Well thank you."

"No problem." Alex stated grinning broadly.

Rach slowly began to fiddle with her thumbs as she dropped her head nervously. "So... I am sure you're wondering what the hell happened back there aren't you?"

"Meh... I was thinking something along those lines." Alex sensed Rach's inner turmoil and quickly tried ease things. "But you know, you really don't have to tell me. I'm just glad you're alright."

Rach nodded her head sadly. "I know I don't have to tell you, but you deserve to know." She took a deep breath. "Paige and I have a past..."

"I kind of picked up on that." Alex said with a slight giggle. 

"Do you want to hear this or not?" The blonde sarcastically asked. She looked at the other girl who was now acting as if she was zipping her lips.

"Alright our freshman year she and I were inseparable. She was my best friend and I was hers." She studied the other girl's expression before continuing. "Anyway one day we were both out by the fountain and she simply asked to kiss me. I don't know what had come over her, but I realized in that moment that I had always wanted her to kiss me. So I let her kiss me. Shortly after that we both realized we were..." She hesitated before continuing, knowing that she had yet to come out to her roommate. "We were uh... gay."

She was relieved to find that the other girl wasn't at all uncomfortable. "You know I kinda already knew..." Alex said reassuringly as Rachel looked up at Alex expectantly. "Yeah you remember at that Party several weeks back?" Rachel bit her bottom lip and tried to remember the party. "You know the one that you were dancing all over uhh... shoot... what's her name?"

Rachel instantly turned red. "You mean Kimberly? You saw that?" Alex nodded her head chuckling at the girl's sudden embarrassment. Rachel's mood suddenly changed back to serious as she continued with her story. "Anyway after Paige kissed me... we dated for several months. Then we finally had our first time and we stopped speaking right after that. She left school for several weeks after her brother's... uh... yeah it's not my place to say anything. Let's just say her family had a rough time and she came back to school only to end up sleeping with this girl named Tracy. After that 'Paige the Whore' was formed and I lost the girl that I loved."

Alex remained silent for several seconds. She found herself slightly overwhelmed. She had known the girl's had a history, but she'd have never guessed they were intimate with one another. She finally spoke up wrapping her thoughts around everything. "Does all of this have anything to do with her mysterious walks to the graveyard?"

"You knew?" She asked almost angrily. She didn't know exactly why she was angry but she couldn't contain herself.

Alex shook her head sadly. "No... She didn't tell me anything. I just found her alone at the graveyard several weeks ago."

"Oh ok." She said finally getting off the bed. "You know she isn't going to be easy right?"

"But I thought you just said...wait...What's that supposed to mean?" Alex asked hostilely without thinking. She didn't want to get in the girls pants if that's what Rach was implying.

"It means just that. The girl is difficult as hell and extremely guarded." The brunette simply nodded before looking down at her feet. "I don't know what your intentions are with her and I will probably never admit this again, but I am glad she has you. She needs someone. She has no one."


	12. What's Up?

Chapter 12

The weekend had gone by fairly slowly for both Alex and Paige. The two hadn't spoken to each other since things had gone down hill. Paige found herself worrying on what the brunette thought about her. She probably knew everything and wouldn't give her a second glance. She knew that Rachel had the power to turn people against her. She had been doing it for over three years. It wouldn't be the first time she'd have lost a prospective friend due to the angry girl's vendetta.

Alex had been nervous about seeing Paige. The possibility of Paige retreating troubled her all weekend long. They had come so far. The blonde was finally letting her in and all progress could be taken away.

Paige entered the classroom without even so much as a glance towards the brunette that sat behind her as she silently took her seat. They both had desperately hoped that things wouldn't be awkward, but that was inevitable. Paige knew that the girl had known more about her today than she had previously known. She didn't know if she should at least say hello or if she should just sit there and ignore the girl. She knew that even if she tried to ignore the girl she couldn't. She could pretend to do so and since she was seated in front of her she had the better end of the deal. She found herself wanting to turn around and chance a glimpse of the girl. She couldn't explain the overwhelming feeling she wasn't dealing with well.

Alex felt the tension in the air. She wished that she could go back to the beginning of the weekend when things were less tense for the pair; however, she wouldn't exchange the knowledge she had gained of Paige for anything. She just wished that things could have been handled differently that day. She knew that Paige was dealing with some inner demons and was probably going to be more difficult now than ever. She had to make an attempt to get through to the girl.

Mrs. Reeves stood in front of the class writing a date on the board. One would have to be legally blind to not see the numbers she had written. She wanted it to be clear.

"As you guys know we have an essay every week to improve your skills." She said before the class sighed in unison. "This week you have to write about someone you know little about." One of the other students commented it that it would be an easy tasks but she only laughed. Her laughter soon intimidated the entire class.

"I would say that this should be someone that you rarely talk to or someone you've never spoken to at all. Or in other cases this could be someone that simply intrigues you." Mrs. Reeves said warranting another sigh from the class. She was determined to turn her class into writers. They each had what it would take if they only were pushed enough do so.

Alex felt a smile cross her face. She enjoyed writing nearly as much as she did her art work. She loved being able to express herself. There is something amazing about seeing the flicker in someone's eyes as they began to understand. The rush was indescribable, but it was very similar to the emotion she felt when she would get a response from her teacher after writing a long essay.

"This isn't going to be an easy task for some of you." Mrs. Reeves said as she continued to write on the projector.

Alex looked around the class noticing the rest of the students around her were taking notes. She soon realized that she should be taking notes too but had nothing to write with. She finally tapped the girl's shoulder in front of her in an effort to get her attention. She felt the girl's shoulder tense up underneath her touch.

"Paige..." She received no answer. "Paige..." Still no answer. "Fine..." She turned to look at the girl beside her. She had never really spoken to her except for own a few occasions.

"Olivia..." The small girl turned her head to face her. "Do you have a pen I can borrow? I seemed to have forgotten mine."

"Sure Alex." She said sweetly. "Does the color matter?" Alex shook her head no. "Ok well here you are. Have a black one then." She said handing the brunette the pen.

"Thanks." She said smiling at the other girl.

Paige stiffened a bit hearing the interaction between the two girls. She finally grabbed her things and left the class. Ms. Reeves looked at Alex as if trying to figure out what was the matter with the girl. Alex simply shrugged her shoulders. She was as confused as the lady before her.

"Can I go to the washroom?" Alex asked in attempt to follow the girl.

"Yes... you may go the restroom Alex." She said with a wink. Ms. Reeves seemed to enjoy giving the girl a hard time.

-----------------------

Alex didn't know which direction the girl had gone, but she had it on good authority that she was in the breezeway smoking. She knew that Ms. Reeves would probably get concerned if she were gone too long. She still had to find the blonde because something obviously wasn't right. They had made a huge step forward the day before and now the girl was retreating back into her hole. She was shutting her out and she had no idea why.

She was nearly outside where she knew Paige would be sitting by the fountain. She was exiting the building to enter the breezeway.

"Miss. Nunez would you like to tell me where you are going?" She stopped dead in her tracks before turning to face her headmistress. Ms. Carlton's voice was never one to be mistaken. It was several pitches too high and one would have to thank God that she wasn't an opera singer.

"Yeah I am not feeling well, Ms. Carlton. I was just going to my room."

"You're dorm is the other way." She said quizzically, narrowing her eyes to appear more intimidating. Alex had to suppress a laugh at the sight. She had found that Ms. Carlton was anything by/but an intimidation.

"I know. I just really need some fresh air. That taco didn't really help me out last night and I need some fresh air." Alex said lying straight through her teeth.

"Alright... I'll let you slide this once considering I never have any problems from you. Feel better soon." The older woman said before walking off.

She finally made her way outside without any other interruptions. She was pleased to find Paige was exactly where she had expected. She didn't want to disturb her. She seemed so content in her own world. It was a rarity if not nearly impossible to see her like this. She wanted to savor the moment. As she took a step closer her feet rustled on a few leaves that had blown through the breeze way. The blonde finally turned around to face her. She exhaled the smoke from her lungs before deciding to speak.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" She said plainly.

"Aren't you?" The girl didn't answer. Instead she inhaled her cigarette once more. "What is up with you today?"

Paige fiddled with the hem of her blouse. "Nothing."

"Yeah I'm sure." Alex stated sardonically. "You won't even speak to me today. Granted I haven't really said anything either, but I'm not the one that left the classroom."

"I am talking now..." She said sarcastically. The brunette just rolled her eyes annoyingly. "Alright just not talkative." She said sullenly as she looked down at her skirt. Her mood had drastically changed in an instance. One minute she was her feisty self and the next she appeared vulnerable.

"See... that's what I am talking about." The blonde sighed as she avoided eye contact with her. "What's wrong Paige?"

"I said nothing is wrong. Just leave it." Paige mumbled, causing the brunette to strain her ears to hear what was said.

"No!" Alex shouted surprising herself.

"No?" The blonde appeared confused.

Alex shook her head over dramatically. "No! I'm your friend. I want to make sure you're ok."

"Look Nunez I'm fine. I don't need your pity." Paige said quietly. Both girls were amazed that it hadn't came out venomous.

"This isn't pity." Alex said slouching her shoulders, taking in a deep breath. "This is me giving you the chance that you asked for yesterday. And now I am wondering why I even bothered." She said before turning to walk away from the fountain.

Paige watched her walk several yards ahead before her conscience got the best of her. "Wait... Alex.. Don't go." It was killing her to see the girl hurt because of her. Alex hesitated to face the girl, but in that instance she realized she couldn't deny Paige anything, ever. She finally turned herself to face the blonde. "Look I'm sorry. I just... I'm not good at this friend thing."

"So I've heard." Alex said without thinking.

Paige looked down at her hands. "Yeah...Look I am really trying here, but I freaked today. I was just scared that after you and Gable talked that you wouldn't even want to be in the same room as me."

"If I didn't want that do you think that I'd have followed you out in the blistering cold?"

"I thought we New Yorkers didn't know anything about the cold." She said jokingly.

"Yeah well you don't..." Alex said trying to cover her tracks. She saw the smirk cross the blonde's lips knowing that she had defeated her. "Oh whatever it doesn't matter." They both let out a small giggle. "The point is that if I was planning on avoiding you or having nothing to do with you. Do you honestly think I would follow you." The blonde shook her head sadly. "Exactly I would have let you run and I wouldn't have given a rat's ass."

"You can tell you've been around Stephanie far too much."

"How's that?"

"Hon you just said rat's ass." They both burst out laughing. "So do you want to get out of here?"

"Uhh Paige we have class."

"Yeah well class will be there tomorrow. Come on..."

"I don't know."

"Oh come on Alex..." She said pouting. "You are obviously not one for spontaneity are you." The brunette shrugged bashfully. "Come on. I won't take no for an answer." She grabbed the girl by the hand and led her towards the parking lot.

"But my books."

"You'll be fine. At the most you'll get a detention."

"What?!... I can't get detention!"

"You'll live." She simply said.

For the first time in her life she actually felt completely alive. She no longer had to fake a smile or anything. Every emotion she showed was real. She looked over to notice that her companion had a huge grin plastered across her face.

"Alright Captain Jack Sparrow lets go."

"What? Do I look remotely like Johnny Depp."

"You're a rebel like Sparrow, but no you look better." She responded without thinking. She and Paige both starting smiling and blushing simultaneously. "Well I mean come on... you're not grungy like the guy. At least you look like you bathe... on most days."

"Hey I take offense to that." Paige said with a pout on her face.

The pair finally arrived to the parking lot. Alex found herself impressed to see that the Silver Jeep Cherokee was in good shape. She half expected Paige to be a reckless driver and run into anything in sight. Paige made her way to the passengers side of the car and opened the door for Alex. Alex couldn't help but feel as if she were on some kind of date with the other girl.

"Who knew you were such gentleman." She said sarcastically.

"You know what Nunez... I would advise you to watch yourself." Alex looked at her confusedly. "You are going to be in my car woman." She continued with a smirk making her way to the driver side of the car getting in.

"Whatever Sparrow. You don't intimidate me."

---------------------

Happy Valentines :) Hope it's a great one for you guys!


	13. Nicknames

The two walked a ways up a steep hill. The trail seemed to go on for miles. Alex looked down at her watch several times. Each time she would become disappointed and proceeded to complain about anything and everything. Paige secretly found her whining cute, but she would never admit that out loud. Instead she continuously told Alex to stop being a baby and laughed at her. Each time she laughed Alex's protests only became more dramatic. She didn't mind. She found the antics endearing.

Thirty minutes, 100 complaints, and 3 breaks later the duo reached the peak of the hill. The trees and undergrowth were all nearly bare as they were getting ready for the bitter winter. It was only fall and the temperature had dropped drastically in the last couple of weeks. They could only anticipate what was to come when the snow covered the ground and the temperature dropped way below freezing.

The area was completely secluded. Paige seemed so much more at ease with things than the brunette was used to. Alex inwardly smiled at her friend who was now completely comfortable in her own skin. She was only used to seeing the bitchy side and the insecure side. Alex was pleased to see there was a balance to the blonde girl before her.

Paige led the way for her friend to a small area where they could overlook the town. If it were night they would be able to see every light. The view was amazing. Everything looked so small from they were. The tranquility only added to the effect of things. It gave them a feeling of invisibility. Like nothing could touch them from where they were standing.

Alex peered below taking in the small town below them. "So what are we doing here?" Alex asked.

Paige smiled widely, taking her time to speak for dramatic effect. "Just listen..."

"Ok... I don't hear anything." Alex states the obvious.

"Exactly." The blonde says with a huge grin on her face. "I've been coming here ever since Freshman year." Paige finally sits down on the grass below them and Alex follows suit.

"So it's what your fortress of solitude or something?" Alex says as she plays with the grass. The feeling alone nearly made her miss home, but being with Paige was better than any memory she had in Toronto.

"I guess so." Paige gazes out into the horizon. "You make me sound like Superman or something."

"Nope you're a pirate." Alex says with a huge grin on her face.

Paige shakes her head at the other girl's antics. She had learned quickly that once Alex had set her mind to something there was no way to change it. She didn't even bother to argue with the girl or her reasoning. "Yeah what is it with you naming people?"

"Whatever do you mean Sparrow?" They both giggled as Paige rolled her eyes looking at the other girl. "I don't know. I guess you can blame it on Steph."

"Oh yeah I heard you call her Billy the other day. What was that about?"

"She started calling me Canada in class one day so I started calling her Billy. I mean after all she is a hillbilly." They both laugh.

"So I have to ask do you have a name for Gable then?"

"Actually no..." The topic of Rachel made Alex feel slightly uncomfortable. She hoped that it wasn't showing.

"Oh are you guys not that close?" Paige asked oblivious to Alex's sudden discomfort.

"I don't know honestly." Alex took a second to choose her words wisely. "I mean we're cool definitely, but I don't know how close we are."

"Oh..." Alex watched as the girl's mood changed quickly.

The brunette continued to play with the grass. She enjoyed the feel of it. The ground wasn't exactly the most comfortable. It was cold, but not cold enough to feel to go through the effort of having to stand. "Anyway what's with the questionnaire about Rach?"

"I was just curious." Paige replied trying to not maintain eye contact.

"Uh huh..." Alex replied disbelievingly. "So what's the deal with you two anyway?" Mentally kicking herself and hoping she hadn't overstepped her boundaries.

"What do you mean?" Paige asked in an attempt to deflect. The brunette raised her eyebrows. "Alright... She told you everything, right?"

"Yeah she told me her side of the story. There are two sides of every story."

"Look can we just not talk about Gable?" She requested pleadingly.

"Sure... under one condition." The blonde looked her awaiting her response. "You do tell me in due time when you're ready, Sparrow" She said with a smile on her face.

Paige looked out into the horizon trying to hide the blush that had appeared at the sound of her new nickname. It wasn't often she blushed, but she found herself doing it more everyday with the brunette around her. "I'll tell you soon enough. Just not now." Paige said shyly. Alex nodded her head showing she understood. She didn't want to do anything that would jeopardize all they had accomplished. "I promise." Alex's eyes widened at the sound of the two simple words. The words echoed in her head. She was used to empty promises. Her father often made them, but something about Paige's convection gave her hope.

"So we should probably head back to school." Paige announced in an attempt to bring Alex back from her thoughts.

Alex groaned loudly causing Paige to giggle. Laughter was another thing that was coming naturally to her. Sure she laughed all the time, but this was different. This was pure unadulterated laughter that wasn't at the maliciously at the expense of an unsuspecting person. "After you, Paige." Alex said as she stood up, offering a hand to Paige, and anxiously awaiting the girl to take it. She watched Paige hesitate for a second, but whatever made her uncertain was soon pushed away. She took Alex's hand stood up. The two stared at their hands that were still touching and bashfully pulled away. Paige silently led them back to the car.


	14. Deal Later

Several weeks had passed since Paige asked Alex to give her a chance. Since the eventful evening the two had become inseparable. The sight alone made Rachel want to vomit. She couldn't quite put a finger on it, but she didn't like the two being friends. She knew she had given Alex the go ahead. Now she found herself regretting it.

She sat on her bed reading a Cosmopolitan as usual. She found herself in the empty room more often than she enjoyed. If Alex wasn't in the room she was only with one person. Rachel tried to ignore her thoughts, but they were overwhelming. She couldn't understand why the two being around each other bothered her. She didn't have feelings for Paige nor did she want Alex. So why was she so distraught over the two?

Before she had the chance to answer the questions swimming in her head, Alex entered the room. She had been out the entire evening with Paige. The two had gone to see "Good luck Chuck." Alex was smiling from ear to ear. Rachel tried to pretend that she hadn't noticed her enter the room. Alex on the other hand had other plans in mind.

"Oh my gosh you should have gone to the movies tonight. That movie was so awesome. Jessica Alba was hilarious" Alex said cheerfully and completely unaware of her roommates mood. She wasn't alarmed at the sight of Rachel reading one of her million magazines.

Rachel looked up from her magazine and strained a smile, "Yeah well I had a lot of studying to do."

"Since when do you actually study?" Alex joked.

Rachel didn't warrant the girl a response, instead she continued to read her magazine. Alex suddenly became conscious of Rachel's deposition. "Ummm Rach everything ok?" She asked concerned.

Rachel sighed deeply before looking up from her magazine. "Yeah everything is fine..." She faked a yawn. "I'm just really tired from studying." She said trying to reassure her friend. She knew she was lying, but she really didn't want to talk.

Instead of going with her gut instinct, Alex gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Alright. I'm going to jump in the shower." She gathered her toiletries and pajamas quickly. "Do you want me to turn off the light?" She asked courteously.

"No it's fine. I'm just going to read this last article and I'll do it. Thanks though." Rachel responded awkwardly. Her demeanor didn't go unnoticed by Alex. Instead of prying, Alex exited the room to take her shower.

---------------------------

Rachel and Alex were both asleep for nearly two hours. The two had avoided speaking to one another after Alex returned from her shower. Alex was upset to be woken up by the incessant knocking on the door. She was a light sleeper causing her to have a difficult time actually getting abundant sleep. She silently cursed whoever was on the other side of the door and Rachel. Rachel was one of the worlds hardest sleepers. If the fire alarm had gone off in the middle of the night she would be the first to die. She was lucky to have Alex as a roommate. Even in the younger girl's deepest sleep she was still aware of her surroundings. She was never able to fall asleep comfortably.

Alex tossed her warm covers off angrily. The clock brightly shown 2:02 am in green lights. She finally made her way to the door. She unlocked the door slowly before opening it.

"What the hell it's 2 in the morning?" Alex mumbled as she opened the door. She found a very distraught girl before her. "Paige... What's wrong?" 

"I...didn't...know...where else... to go." She answered between sniffles.

The brunette said nothing as she draped an arm around the blonde and pulled her into the room. She led her to the bed where they could sit down. Their backs were touching the cold wall but neither realized how cold it really was. Their minds were else where. Alex knew the girl was hurting on the inside. One would be blind not to notice the hurt the girl was feeling, but she also knew that the girl would talk to her when she was ready. If the girl needed a shoulder to cry on, she would be that shoulder or anything else the girl needed.

"Alex... can we... just not... you know talk about all this tonight?" She asked nervously.

"Sure... Come here." Alex stated as she engulfed the girl into a hug. "I already told you, you're not getting rid of me. I'm not going anywhere." She couldn't see the girl's face, but she knew she was smiling through her tears. "And you're not going anywhere tonight either."

"I can't stay here... I just needed... you." Paige said as she got control of her tears.

Alex shook her head. "Paige you're staying here. I don't care. I don't want you to be alone when you're like this and it's obvious you don't want to be alone either."

"But what about..." Paige nodded her head towards Rachel's sleeping form.

"No buts. We'll deal with her later."

Lucky for Alex, the blonde was already in her pajamas. She didn't have to risk waking up her roommate by getting her something to sleep in comfortably. She couldn't risk it even if she knew it practically impossible to wake Rachel. The girls pull away from their embrace and inched their way down on the bed to the pillows. The day before had been exhausting and both girls needed their rest. As their heads crashed they almost fell asleep instantly. Alex was positioned behind the girl nearest to the wall. She slowly draped an arm around the other girl's waist. She felt Paige's body tense up faster than a speeding bullet. Alex began to retract her own, but just as fast she girl had tensed up she eased back into the body behind her. She felt the arm tighten around her once again. The blonde placed her hand on Alex's as she intertwined their fingers before drifting off into a comfortable sleep. Both girls slept better than they had in years.


	15. Our Fortress

The sun shown brightly throw the window waking Alex and Paige from their sleep. Some time during the night they had managed the turn to face one another. Neither girl moved from their position, in hopes that they wouldn't taint things. Paige's arm was draped across Alex's midriff as she watched Alex slowly open her eyes. She was content in never letting go if that were possible, but she knew that all good things end.

"Hey..." Alex said with a bashful smile.

Paige merely winked at the brunette. "Hi yourself...I should probably get out of here..." 

"No stay." Alex said pouting. She didn't want to Paige to leave.

As Paige was about to say something the alarm sound through the room. The girls shifted their bodies a bit as they heard the annoying sound waiting for Rachel to get up and turn the alarm off. She had a pet peeve for anyone turning it off other than herself. They watched as the other girl got out of bed not bothering to hide the frustration she was feeling from the buzzing sound. She slammed her hand down on the button before heading towards the door. She glanced over towards the bed to see if Alex was awake before noticing the familiar blonde.

"What the hell is going on here?" Rachel said as she noticed the two girls wrapped up in one another.

"Uh well uh..." Paige stumbled trying to find the right thing to say.

Alex slowly unwound their bodies."She was looking for a place to crash."

"Well how about her room?" Rachel raised her voice a bit more with each word.

Alex tossed the cover off her body and sat up. Her feet were touching the cold floor and she instantly wished she had thought otherwise. She winced at the coldness. "What is wrong with her staying in here? You have Stephanie in here more often than I can count."

"Yeah well Steph is not her is she?" She spat looking at the blonde who was now getting herself off the bed as quickly as possible.

Alex reached out and stopped Paige. She felt Paige wince at her grasps."Paige... what are you doing?"

"I have to go." She stated quickly getting out the bed, completely.

Alex shook her head as she watched Paige walking across the room."You don't have to." Alex said pleadingly.

Paige looked into the other girls eyes, and couldn't handle what she was seeing. The brown eyes were reflecting the overwhelming feeling that she herself was feeling. Alex was just as scared as she was and they both knew it had nothing to do with Rachel and her intimidations.

"Yeah I do..." Paige said apologetically before walking out of the room.

"Just leave Paige! That's what you're go at!" Rachel said warranting a death glare from the brunette.

The brunette was left stunned. She didn't know if she was supposed to feel angry with her roommate or the girl that left her with no explanation. Rachel was really getting on her nerves. She had the right to befriend anyone she wanted to and yet the blonde made it so difficult. Every step closer she got the girl with colorful highlights, she was pushed miles back on account of a jealous roommate. She understood the two had a past, but she also had understood that Rachel had pushed her towards Paige.

"What the hell is your problem, Rachel? God you're so damn Bi-polar. Who even knows with you anymore?!" She yelled angrily. She didn't care if the other girl saw that she was upset.

"Bi-polar? Ha. You and her are my problem. What'd you do wait till I went to sleep before you fucked her?" The blonde said sarcastically.

"Excuse me?!" Alex found herself take aback more by the second. What right did Rachel have?

Rachel made her opinion known. "You heard me. If you were planning on fucking her, you should have just said the word. I would've left the room."

"Where do you get off even assuming that we slept together?!"

"Hmmm let's take a second here..." She hesitates putting a hand on her chin. "You, her, in a bed hours later after I've fallen asleep."

"Whatever I owe you no explanation for my behavior. If I want to sleep with someone I can do that. It's not like you're my girlfriend." The blonde's mouth opened almost on cue, but no words come out. "Or better yet you're not hers anymore. So get over her! She's clearly gotten over you, Gable." 

Alex angrily left the room in an attempt to find Paige. She first search the hall way, hoping the girl was either in her room or the restroom, but the girl was in neither place. She quickly ran out of the dorms to breeze way. She soon found that the other girl wasn't there either. She felt the coldness and soon realized that she didn't have a coat on. Her desire to find the other girl was overpowering any coldness.

------------------------

Alex angrily walked around the campus. She was thankful that she was able to reflect on things while trying to find Paige. She couldn't fathom what exactly was going on with her roommate. She was tired of the girl's indecisiveness. If Rachel wanted her to have nothing to do with Paige, than why did she tell her to take care of her? Was it some malicious game to her? Did she enjoy building people up only to drop them down at the snap of her finger? Alex was sick of the games. If her relationship with Paige was such a bother Rachel would have to deal with it.

After having searched the entire campus she entered the graveyard. She hoped that Paige was there. She needed to know that she was ok. She couldn't deal with the unsettling feeling in her stomach. She walked to the headstone she had followed Paige to previously. She was torn between the excitement she felt at the seeing the girl before her and the sadness of her being so hurt. 

Paige heard the leaves rustling, but didn't have to turn around to know who was coming towards her.  
"Hey..." The blonde said as she heard the footsteps behind her.

"Hey you." The words leave Alex's mouth timidly. She wasn't sure if she should move forward or stay put. She didn't move any closer to the girl before her. The blonde didn't turn to look at the girl either. She stood in front of the headstone sighing deeply.

"You know he's been gone three years today. I still can't believe it's been that long. It still feels like yesterday he and I were checking out girls together." She said before stepping back towards the brunette. Her face never left the direction of the grave. "He was the only person in my family that accepted me for me." She finally turned to face the other girl. "My parents couldn't accept that I was gay so they sent me here." The brunette's eyes drop to the ground sadly.

Alex couldn't understand why anyone could be so cruel. The girl was trying to be herself in this confusing world and yet the people who were supposed to be there for her were the first ones to turn their backs on her. She soon began to realize that she had more in common with her friend than she had originally thought. Her parents shipped her off because they couldn't accept the fact that she enjoyed expressing herself. She didn't even want to think about how they would feel if she told them that she was slowly falling for the girl who was now making herself more vulnerable than ever thought possible.

The brunette felt a sudden urge to get as possible to the other girl without stepping on any toes. Her hand soon found it's way into the blonde's. She felt the blonde tense up once again as she did the previous night. Alex thought she was going to pull away, but instead she intertwined their fingers just as she had the night before. The two girls soon realized that nothing matter except the fact that they had each other.

Paige knew deep down that despite everything the girl would not leave her side. She looked at the girl and for the first time Turquoise met Brown as the walls the girls had fault so hard to build fell down. The two stood there staring at each other. The blonde soon noticed that the brunette was not wearing a coat or anything that was remotely warm. She took a step towards the girl and wrapped her available arm around her to warm her up.

"Alex you're freezing hun. What were you thinking?" She said as she felt the girl snuggle close to her.

"I wasn't. I had to find you."

"Thank you." She said simply.

"It was no problem. Well minus the fact I forgot something warm." The brunette said trying to lighten the mood a bit. The both let out a giggle.

"Seriously... thank you... for everything!" She said pulling her more into her body. The body heat was nearly enough to warm the brunette up. She pulled her even closer. The embrace was so tight. The two remained in each other's arms for a while longer.

Paige looked down at the girl in her arms and sighed. "Now we have to get you out of this cold weather." She said pulling away from the embrace and dragging her to the car. Neither let go of the other's hand. They were both content with the closeness. They would deal with the world later.

They reached Paige's jeep and reluctantly let go each other's hand. Paige let Alex in as she ran to the other side trying to get out of the cold. She could only imagine how cold the other girl must be. She was wearing a leather jacket and a sweat shirt. The other girl was only wearing a long sleeve T-shirt with a wolf, their school's logo, on it.

"So how'd you find me?" The blonde said as she was turning on the jeep.

"You really have to ask?" Paige nodded. "Well I searched everywhere and I knew if you weren't here you'd be at your fortress."

"Our." Paige said warranting a very confused look from the shivering girl. "Our fortress." A smile crept upon Alex's face.

"I would have gone to our fortress, but I realized that I already knew where you were. You went there first didn't you?" She nodded. "If you weren't here I would have called Steph to take me out there. I know she would have." 

"Steph is awesome like that."

"Yeah she really is awesome. Why aren't you two friends?"

"She's not very confrontational, and basically everyone knows you can't be a friend of mine and a friend of Gable's. Something I am sure you're learning the hard way." She said with a chuckle before turning the heat on high. She kept the car in park. She wasn't ready to leave just yet. She wanted to be near the girl for as long as possible and wasn't quite sure what that meant.

"I don't think she's over you." Alex said without thinking. She tried to look at the window acting as if nothing were ever said. She was focused on a boulder that was about 20 yards away from them.

"Rachel has a hard time letting go of the past." Paige said trying to get the other girl's attention. Alex finally removed her gaze from the bolder and looked at her.

"You ever going to tell me about you two?" She said impatiently. She didn't mean for the words to come out as harshly as they did.

Paige nodded her head sadly. Alex sat braced herself for what was to come.


	16. Simple Things

Paige silently sat behind the steering wheel. She was nervous. She had never shared her story with anyone. No one ever seemed to want to know. She knew what people said about her. She was always the villain in the story. This was the one thing that had made her realize that Alex was different. Alex had always wanted to know about her.

"You really wanna know?" The brunette bit her bottom lip nervously before nodding. Alex wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but she knew that she had to know.

"Ok I'll tell you..." Paige said taking in a deep breath and letting it out. "I am sure you already know freshman year she and I were the best of friends?"

Alex nodded her head. "She told me that. It's still hard to believe you guys were ever close." 

"I know right?" Both girls giggled lightly. Paige was glad that Alex wasn't making things as tense as they could be. "I hadn't really come out to her, but I think she knew for a while that I was a lesbian. I knew she liked me but even though I had known I was gay, I had never acted on it."

Paige let out a huge sigh. "You know you can stop me at any time."

"Nope. I don't want you to stop, but if you're uncomfortable, you can stop." Alex said placing her hand on Paige's trying to encourage her. 

Paige smiled sadly. "Ok... Anyway we kept getting closer and I had told Dylan, my brother, that I was falling for her. So he told me that I should kiss her and see what happened." She hesitated for a moment making sure the other girl was following. "So we kissed for the first time. It was amazing and so innocent. We started seeing each other for a while. We were totally inseparable as if it wasn't bad enough before hand. Eventually we slept together for the first time... and...he was on his way to get us..." The tears began to form in her eyes. "I had called him to take us to the movies... but we never made it to the movies...If I hadn't... If I had just... If... god I shouldn't have been so selfish." 

"Paige... you couldn't have known. That was out of your control! There was nothing you could have done."

Paige obstinately shakes her head, "Alex you weren't there. You don't know." Her voice raising a bit as she hits the steering wheel causing Alex to jump. Alex watched everything as if it were in slow motion. Paige's emotions were all coming to the surface. One tear escaped her eyes and was soon followed by many. Suddenly the tears begin to stream down her face. All attempts to stop them had failed. 

Alex felt powerless. She wanted nothing more than to ease the girl's pain. "You don't have to say anything else." She said pulling the blonde into her body. She felt Paige hesitantly lay her head on her shoulder.

She sniffles loudly, "I do. I have to finish." Alex nods understandingly as she feels her shoulder becoming moist. "When I returned to school things were different. I was different. Rachel was different. She barely even talked to me. It was like I didn't exist anymore. I didn't know what else to do so I slept with Tracy. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just... I didn't know what else to do. I wanted to feel something... and I wasn't feeling anything." She lowers her voice. "I am so sorry. So sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for Paige. You were so young and you were hurting." Alex wraps her around Paige's neck. "Come here." She pulls Paige as close than humanly possible.

This was the second time in the past twenty four hours the girl had cried on her shoulder. She didn't mean to upset the girl she just wanted answers. She felt like it was her fault that the girl was now hurting so bad. She wanted to wipe every tear away and promise her blue skies for eternity. She wanted to make sure that no one else ever hurt the girl. She was learning more and more each day about what made her who she was today. The girl that put up a front to the world. The girl wouldn't let anyone get too close to her was completely letting Alex in. She was overwhelmed with joy and hurt at the thought of being apart of the girls world. She felt the pain the girl was feeling. She wanted to become her personal protector. In that moment Alex made a promise to herself to always be there and protect Paige.

"So you want to go grab a bite to eat?" Paige said pulling herself together. "Or better yet you want to get you something warm to put on?"

Alex was relieved to find the girl was on the same page as her. She was also excited to spend more time with the blonde. The two had spent an abundance of time together, but they had never really broken the ice. It suddenly dawned on her that the two still knew very little about one another. "Honestly... I really don't think I can handle seeing her right now so can we like not go back to the dorms?"

"That's understandable. I think I have a hoodie or jacket somewhere back in the hatch if you want to put it on."

"Gee now you tell me." Alex sardonically said.

"Whatever..." The blonde said playfully glaring at her. She couldn't help the smile that formed across her face. "Anyway once you warm up we can go get something to eat." Paige stated nervously.

"Alright Sparrow. That sounds like a plan." Alex said with a huge smile on her face.

-----------------------------

Rachel had been alone in her room for hours. She couldn't deal with anyone. She heard her phone ring several times. Each time her phone would flash letting her know she had a message. She didn't even have to listen to know they were all from Steph. They had plans to go out, but she couldn't handle going out.

She reached into her mini fridge and took out a soda. She decided against it and grabbed her flask instead. She didn't want to deal with anything. Things would still be there when she sobered up. She could at least escape for a short period of time.

Rachel hadn't noticed that someone had joined her. She turned around and met the eyes of her friend.

"What are you doing in here?" She asked avoiding eye contact.

"Hmm.. I don't know. Good question. How come you haven't been picking up?" 

She said nothing. She simply sat down on her bed and motioned for Steph to join her. She suddenly regretted it as her friend took a seat beside her. She wasn't ready to play 20 questions.

"Rachel what's wrong with you now?" Steph asked as she watched her friend with her prize possession in hand.

Rachel took a huge gulp from the flask. "Nothing Steph. I am fine." She took another sip feeling the alcohol run it's slow course through her body. "Just fine."

"You're clearly not!" Stephanie points to the flask in Rachel's possession. "You really need to stop drinking that stuff when you're upset."

"Oh shut it. I don't need you giving me the guilt trip. My mother does a good enough job of that already."

Steph sighed deeply not wanting any problems. "Fine whatever."

A fake pout crossed the blonde's face, "Aww... what's wrong with you?" 

"Nothing I am fine." Stephanie crosses her arms and rolls her eyes. "I am not going to talk to you when you're like this."

"Like what exactly? Huh?" She gulped the last bit of the liquid all at once. Tossing the empty flask on her bed. "Like a girl who just found her roommate and ex in the bed together? Huh? What would you do?"

"I don't know what I would do... but I sure as hell wouldn't drink at a time like this! It really won't make things any better."

"Of course you wouldn't. The good ole southern Baptist girl couldn't do anything wrong right? She's so perfect." She could tell that she was getting to the other girl. She watched as the tears were brimming in her eyes. She wanted to stop, but she couldn't. "Everyone loves her! She makes all the good grades and has all the right schools trying to get her attention. Her parents love her more than life. She's just _perfect_!" The last word rolled off her tongue like it was some kind of venomous weapon.

"Shut the hell up Gable!"

"Give me a sec not done babe." She said with an evil smirk on her face. "What do you think mommy and daddy would do if they knew their perfect little angel was a carpet muncher huh?"

"God...I am going out. Call me when you're sober."

"Oh that's all you have to say? Come on Stephanie... take you're best shot."

"I have nothing to say to you right now. I really hope that Paige and Alex are having a grand ole time together. You really need to get over her. I am sick of waiting around on you!" Steph angrily stalked out of the room.

-------------------------

"So... what do you think about New York?" Paige asks uncertainly as they wait for their waiter to take their orders.

"I don't know. It's New York." Alex says fiddling with her napkin. "I mean it's a bit different than Toronto sure, but Toronto is cleaner."

The blonde takes the sugar packet in her hand firing it across the table. "Hey... I resent that."

"What it's true?" She says returning the sugar to the rightful owner with a smirk. The two continue to toss the sugar packs at one another.

"Alright... Alright..." Paige says guarding her face. "I surrender." She only warranted a sarcastic look of defeat from the other girl. "You may be right about most places in New York, but come on... here?"

"Alright I'll give you that."

The two continued to discuss the ups and downs of both Toronto and New York. Neither girl wanted to admit that they were secretly jealous of the other girl. Paige had always wanted to get out of New York. She felt so helpless. She hated the place with a passion, while Alex had always wanted to leave Canada for the states. The two were too absorbed in their own world to notice the Tall guy standing at their table wearing an adorable red apron. They soon turned to face him as he cleared his throat to get their attention.

"Hi... I'm Logan I'll be your server today. What can I get you ladies to drink?" His eyes were on Paige as he said this.

"I'll have a root beer." Paige flashed a flirtatious smile at the guy causing him to turn the color of his apron. .

"Uh.. I'll uh... I'll..." Alex was soon stuck for an answer. She was too wrapped up in the interaction between the two. "I'll just take an Iced Tea." She said trying to recover herself.

"I'll be right back with your drinks... well unless you're ready to order." He said as kept his eye on the blonde. Alex couldn't explain why she even cared. It wasn't like the two were a couple or anything.

"What kind of Pizza do you want, Alex?" She asked looking at the brunette sincerely. She could tell something had obviously changed in the girl, but wasn't quite sure what it was.

"I usually just eat Pepperoni and cheese." The response came out broken. She tried to hide her nervousness, but with each word it was rearing it's head.

"That's what we'll have then. We'll have a medium Pepperoni and Cheese Pizza." She said smiling at other girl.

"Alright I'll be back with your drinks and I'll put your order in now." Logan said smiling one last time at Paige before walking off.

The two were alone and neither saying anything. The tension could be cut with a knife. Paige didn't know what was going on with the girl. They were fine not even five minutes ago. Alex looked out the window and watched the cars drive past her.

"You ok?" Paige questioned bravely. 

Alex didn't make eye contact as she quickly responded, "Yeah I am fine." She continued to look at the window. The sky was turning to gray. She hadn't realized that she had been with the girl nearly all day.

"Alright..." Paige quickly said trying not to pressure the girl. "So Alex... question if you could go anywhere in the world... where would you go and why?" 

Alex didn't respond immediately. She simply looked out the window contemplating the question. As a child she had always wanted to go to Italy or France. She always loved looking at the pictures of the old architecture and the vineyards of the two.

The brunette removes her eyes from the window after contemplating for a bit. "I really don't know. Let me get back to you on that. What about you?"

"Honestly?" Paige asks nervously. The brunette nods expectantly. "I really want to live somewhere away from here. I don't care where, preferably in the middle of nowhere."

"Really?"

"Alright... I just want to live away from the city. You know?" The brunette couldn't really relate since she had lived on a farm her entire life, but she could understand where she was coming from to an extent. "I want to live somewhere no one knows me. Somewhere it rains more than it snows. I've always loved listening to the rain. I want to be able to watch it too from my front porch." Alex is completely taken away by the blond's words. The passion behind them were nothing short of overwhelming. "Somewhere where I can sit on my porch, watch the sunrise and then watch it set without having to move an inch." Her eyes wonder out the window. "Sounds cheesy doesn't it?"

Alex hesitates momentarily. The girl sounded anything but cheesy. Her words were so heartfelt. She finally looks at the girl who seems to be disappointed by her lack of response. "Not at all. Not... at... all, Paige." She replies honestly. If only Paige knew that was how she had grown up. 


	17. Apologies and Promises of next times

"Stephanie...Steph..." Rachel yells as she pounds on her friend's door. "Come on Stephanie. Would you open up? Please." She continues to knock on the door loudly.

A small girl walks out of one of the near by rooms. "Gable can you just let it go. She obviously doesn't want to talk to you."

Rachel looked at the girl in front of her as if she was about to beat the hell out of her. She watched as the girl flinched nervously. Rachel decided against fighting the girl. "Why don't you go eat a fry or something?"

"What's that supposed to mean, Alchy?" The skinny girl asked.

"Bite me." Rachel thought about the girl's words briefly. "If you were eating a fry now you wouldn't be bothering me huh?"

The girl started to laugh at Rachel's antics. She enjoyed seeing Rachel squirm. It wasn't something she had the honor of seeing often. "That makes no sense Gable."

"Yeah well neither does throwing up after every meal huh?"

The girl said nothing instead stalked down the hall offended. Rachel felt no remorse. She was right. The girl was bulimic. It wasn't as if she was lying about the girl and her eating habits was it? She heard the door open and her eyes met her best friends. They were red and the girl's mascara had obviously been running. There was a small dry black trail underneath her eyes. Her heart began to beat loudly as she saw the hurt she had caused the other girl.

"Get in here _Gable_ before you get us both in trouble with your drunk self." Steph said grabbing the blonde's arm and pulling her in the room.

Rachel huffed, "What is it with everyone calling me Gable in that tone today?" Stephanie groaned, but said nothing.

Rachel had finally gotten the girl's attention as she had been trying to get for the past five minutes. The only thing now is that she didn't want it. She couldn't even look at the girl. It hurt her to see the girl in so much pain. Not only that, she knew it was never a good sign when she was calling her Gable. She always called her Rach, or even Rachel when she was irritated. Gable was something on a whole new playing level.

"Is there a reason you're here?" Steph asked as she stood with her arms crossed looking at the girl. If looks could kill, Rachel would have been dead and then some.

Rachel played with the hem of her shirt trying to think of something to say. She couldn't find the words to say. Everything she wanted to say would sound like empty words whether she meant them or not.

"Ok... so you walked to the third floor... to what? Annoy the hell out of me and waste my time again?" She asked angrily.

"No..." 

"Ok then what?" Her voice was slowly becoming softer.

"I came here to say that I am sorry." 

"Ok... is that all?" She asks as she uncrossed her arms. She was about to let the girl out as she was stopped. She didn't turn to face the girl. She stopped and stared at the girl. 

"I was an ass..."

"That'd be an understatement." She said allowing herself to ease up around the girl and turning to face her. The girl always had a way of making her cave in. She didn't know what it was exactly, but was sure that it wasn't something that was going to be good for her in the long run. 

Rachel slowly allowed a smile cross her face. "That's fair enough." She hesitated before becoming serious again. She felt herself completely sober up in that instant. "I came here to say that I am sorry for everything, Steph. I was hurting and I took it out on you. I am so sorry. I wish I could say that I was just talking because of the booze, but the truth is that I am jealous." 

"You're jealous of me?" She raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

"Yeah I am... I guess it took the booze for me to realize that."

Steph couldn't believe what she was hearing. Rachel had it all. She had the grades, all the guys and girls after her and most importantly had it easier than anyone she knew. What did she have that Rachel didn't?

"Ummm... ok."

"Look... that doesn't matter right now. The important thing is that everything I said to you was out of anger. You were only trying to help me out and I..." She felt herself choking up. She was on the breaking point of crying. She couldn't allow the Steph to see her that. "I just... I snapped. All in all it's no one's fault. It's not Alex's fault or even Paige's and it sure as hell isn't yours."

Steph looked down at her hands listening to her best friend's honesty. It was a rarity the other girl actually showed the world what she was really feeling. She was always one to tell it how she saw it, but once things came to close to home she would shut down. She hated allowing herself to be vulnerable.

"You know we're going to be ok, Rachel." The girl looked up to meet blue eyes. The blonde shyly smiled at her. They shared a giddy smile before Steph turned serious once again. "The question is are you going to be ok?"

The blonde looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"Are you going to be able to handle those two together?"

"I'll get used to it." She said unconvincingly. 

-----------------------------

The two had long finished their food and made their way back to dorms. Neither girl wanted to walk inside, but they knew that in due time they had to. They couldn't very sleep in Paige's car, regardless of how tempting the idea may seem. They had learned how comfortable the could become talking endlessly about anything.

Paige had learned that the girl was not a fan of Michaelangelo. She was more a Picasso or Van Gogh fan. She like the endlessness and abstractness of things. She memorized how her eyes would darken as she began to talk about art or anything that she was passionate about. Her smile would reach ear to ear as she talked. She also learned the girl cared nothing about Politics, something she herself secretly loved. It wasn't something she really enjoyed, but something she more or less loved to complain about.

Alex sat back in the seat taking in the events of the day. Everything had started off terrific she had woken up beside a girl of mystery and ended up with the same girl, only she wasn't so mysterious. The girl had a weird habit of batting her eyelashes when she was nervous. It was definitely one of those cute things in life. The kind of thing that would be so weird to someone else; however, something that another lives for each and every day. Paige was a huge fan of indie rock. She said it was the only kind of music that could reflect where she was in life. Her mellow persona matched her mellow taste in music.

Paige couldn't take the silence anymore. As much as she would love to know what was on the girl's mind she wanted to know something else even more badly.

"Ok what was that about at the restaurant?"

"What was what about?" Alex said trying to avoid any confrontation. She wasn't ready to fully open up the other girl.

The blonde shook her head looking away. "I saw the look you gave him after we paid for our food. What was that about? The guy did nothing."

"You mean Logan?" Paige said sardonically.

Alex crossed her arms. "Yeah him."

"What's your problem with him? He was nothing nice to us." Paige said nonchalantly.

Paige couldn't understand what the problem was. She was completely obviously to the enter workings of Alex's brain. "Ha... yeah ok."

"He was."

"He was nice to you." The brunette said bitterly. She tried to contain herself, but the words just rolled off her tongue.

Paige squinted her eyes as she looked at the brunette disbelievingly. "Wait... a sec...Ha... I just figured out what you're problem is." She said as had cracked one of Sherlock Holmes' cases for him.

"Do tell." The brunette said unenthusiastically.

"Ha ha... I had to be blind not to see this before, but..." The brunette soon became nervous feeling her cheeks turn the color of the tomato. "You have a thing for him don't you."

"What?!" 

"You have a thing for our wanna be Jude Law look alike don't you."

"I do not..." She soon realized how unconvincing she was when she heard the other girl's repetitively voice.

"You like him... You like him... ooooohhhh... you like him." She continued to sing over and over.

Alex plugged her ears playfully in an attempt to tune the blonde out. Her notions were ridiculous. "Ugh... would you shut up!" She said a little more annoyed than she'd meant to. "I do not..." 

"Ok..." The girl said sadly. She looked like a wounded dog and Alex soon felt bad for raising her voice. "I got it. You don't like him."

"No... I don't." She couldn't help but feel like she was lying to the blonde. She wasn't lying technically. She didn't like the guy.

"So we should probably get inside before they lock up. You know it's going on 10 and all..." Paige said sadly.

"Yeah you're right..."

The two stepped out of the car not saying a word to one another. Alex felt warmer somehow. Even though generally the temperature decreased with nightfall. Paige had to catch herself from grabbing the girl's hand. She didn't want to put any pressure on her. After all they were just getting to know one another. She could think about complicated things in time come.

Paige reluctantly opened the door to let the girl inside. She was almost scared that the girl would never speak to her again once they went their separate ways. She enjoyed being around the girl. For the first time in so long she actually genuinely liked a girl. She wasn't thinking about the easiest most effective way to get in bed with her. 

Alex sensed the girl's uncertainty as they walked down the down the hall to the stairway. She didn't know whether to say anything or simply remain quiet. She went with the later. She knew the girl would say something when she was ready.

They finally reached the third floor to find most of the girls were already quietly in their rooms. It was a school night after all. They figured most of the girls were either doing their homework, studying or sleeping.

Paige decided against walking Alex to her room. She really couldn't deal with another fight with Rachel. She felt bad about leaving the girl to fight for her, but things would only get worse if she saw them together.

"I think I am going to get some shut eye." She said sadly not looking at the other girl.

Alex didn't pressure her. She knew what she was doing. "Ok. We have to do this again."

"Yeah definitely." Paige said trying to muster a smile on her face. She wasn't even sure herself if they would have the chance.

"I mean it." The brunette said seriously. Her eyes were burning holes the blonde's.

"Alright... definitely!" She said sarcastically. Causing the other girl to laugh at her. "Is that better?"

Alex rolled her eyes playfully. "Definitely!" She said as she walked past the girl towards her room. She looked back to find the girl with a cheesy grin on her face. Paige looked down bashfully as she was caught before turning to go to her room.

The day had turned out much better than she could have imagined. Alex had managed to make her feel better and forget about all her problems. This was generally one of the worse day of the year. Some how the brunette had turned things around. It had become one of the best days she had in years. Whatever the intentions the other girl had for her, she was a keep. She was not about to let the brunette slip through her fingers.


	18. What's wrong?

Alex entered her room nervously. She wasn't thrilled about having to see Rachel. She had hoped that Rachel had opted to sleep in Steph's room, but things would be too easy for her if that was the case. The blonde sat on her bed nonchalantly as she watched Alex make her way to her side of the room.

"Enjoy your day?" Rachel asked in a tone that was some what bordering bitter and sarcastic. She couldn't tell what the girl was aiming at. She tossed the flask across the room, secretly hoping it would hit Alex.

Alex rolled her eyes at the drunk girl who was seated across the room reading a Cosmopolitan Magazine. "Actually yeah. Couldn't be better, thanks for asking." If the girl was going to act 12, she was going to be bigger person.

"That's great Canada, did you guys have round two yet? I mean... I don't know from experience, but I hear she's great the second time around. And you're definitely special if she wanted it again." She sardonically said trying to get a rise out of the girl.

She was almost going to be the bigger person. She felt bad for the girl thinking the two had slept together. If that was bad enough, but in the bed beside her. The blonde smirked at her evilly and that was all it took. "Actually you know what... Damn she was amazing... like wow!! I didn't realize a girl could have that many orgasms." Wiggling her eyebrows suggestively to exaggerate the point as she sat down on the bed taking off her shoes. "Paige is definitely a friend to all women. She knows exactly what and where to..."

Rachel tossed her magazine across the room. "Alright enough Canada... I didn't ask for all that." She said angrily. She couldn't deal. 

"That's just it! You didn't ask at all! You assumed!" 

"Whatever, just go back to Canada. No one wants you here."

"Obviously Paige does." Alex snarled at the girl as she stood up to remove her shirt and put on her pajamas. 

Her shirt was half over head blinding her from the sight of Rachel lunging across the room quicker than a speeding bullet. Rachel knocked the brunette back on her bed and punched her right in the nose. Alex too overwhelmed with anger didn't even think twice about her nose. She forced the girl away causing her to trip over the shoes lain in the floor. Alex neared the blonde, ready to kick the hell out of the girl, but instead headed for the door.

"Don't you ever talk to me again. Don't you even come near me, you selfish bitch." Alex said cupping her nose with two hands before walking out of the room with her head held high. She didn't have to fight back to feel like a winner.

-------------------------

"What... what the hell happened to you?" Paige asked as she instinctively turned on the warm water wet the washcloth she was planning on using to wash her face.

"I ran into something." She said unconvincingly. Paige raised an eyebrow waiting for her to continue. "Look... I am lying but can we just not talk about this tonight?" She pleaded.

Paige removed the washcloth from underneath the water and held it to the injured girl's nose. If the girl didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to hassle her. The important thing was her well-being, which obviously wasn't very well at the moment. The pressure of the rag and the warmth of it caused the brunette to cringe in pain.

"Are you ok?" 

"Yeah I am." She said taking the washcloth from Paige and applying the pressure to her nose herself. "Thanks." 

Paige nodded as she went back to brushing her teeth. She relieved to see a small smile cross the girl's face at a moment like this. The blonde had her suspicions as to who was responsible for the blood.

Alex nervously looked at the girl as if she wanted to say something. Paige quickly caught on to the girl's inner turmoil. "What's up?" She asked with a cheesy grin.

"I was wondering if I could... well... uhh..."

"Yeah you can." The blonde said knowing exactly what she was going to ask. "I have to warn you that my roommate is Olivia..." She said as she was exiting the bathroom.

"What!?" 

"Ha... kidding I have a single room! You should have seen your face." The blonde abashedly giggled at the girl, smiling from ear to ear.

"Not funny."

"Yeah it kinda was."

"Alright fine..." She said smiling despite herself.

Neither girl said anything else as they continued their nightly rituals. The two were used to seeing one another in the morning, but at night they never saw one another. It was throwing them off a bit.

Alex's nose finally stopped bleeding several moments later. Both were relieved to see that the girl was a fast healer.

---------------------------

"Uh... Paige... I'll... just... uh..." Alex motioned for the floor. 

"Nonsense! You didn't make me sleep on the floor last night did you?" The brunette shook her head. "Exactly." 

They had just spent the entire day together without any major interruptions, aside from a busted nose. They considered themselves very lucky. The two giddily faced one another taking everything in. Paige had opted to sleep on the outside of the bed. Her justifications were that she was claustrophobic.

"So... you let Gable kick her ass huh?" Paige said warranting herself a shove, nearly pushing her off the bed. "Hey watch it. My bed, my rules." She playfully said pushing the girl into the wall.

"I didn't get my ass kicked..." She couldn't see the girl's face but she knew she didn't believe her. "Ok... so I didn't hit her back... but still I didn't get my ass kicked."

"If you say so Alex...anyway mind telling me why Gable attacked." 

"What makes you say she attacked me?"

"She didn't?" The blonde asked challengingly.

"No, she did, but still. You make me sound so weak."

"Alright fine... why did Gable hit you? Is that better?"

"Much." She said smiling. "I uh... maybe instigated her a bit." 

"Uh oh..."

Alex adjusted her legs a bit underneath the cover nervously. "Yeah I maybe sort of made her believe we had sex..."

"You did what?!" She asked disbelievingly caught off guard. She wasn't mad, just surprised.

"Yeah."

Paige couldn't contain it any longer. She found herself laughing hysterically at the girls antics. If they were going to fight, it could have at least been over something worth it. They wasted a perfectly good fight or half a fight in her book.

"It's not funny, Paige. That girl could have broke my nose and all you can do is laugh." She said shoving the girl once again, knocking her off the bed. The girl instantly went quiet. One could hear a pen drop on the floor "Oh shit... " She jumped off the bed to aid the girl.

Paige didn't move a muscle. She felt for her pulse, but realized she couldn't even find it. In that moment it dawned on her that Medical School was not something should ever been able to obtain. She struggled for several seconds before panicking.

"Paige... Paige..." Still no response. The trembling girl leaned down to the ready to give her mouth to mouth if that's what it took. She neared her mouth as she stopped watching the a smile form on the girl's lips. "God you're such an ass!" She said punching the girl playfully.

"It's not my fault you need anger management. No one told you to knock me off my bed. Anyway it's a good thing I wasn't hurt, if I had you to help, I'd die." She said smugly.

"Whatever Michalchuk." She said pouting on the floor seated upright beside the girl. She was trying to hide her uneasiness. The girl had really scared her.

"Ahh... ok Nunez "

"Touché"

"Anyway I am beat... you ready to actually go sleep this time?" She asked getting off the floor offering a hand to the brunette who was still trembling. She felt her hand shaking in hers and immediately felt bad. "Oh my god Alex... I am so sorry." She said sincerely. "I really didn't mean to scare you like that. I was just kidding..."

"It's ok..."

"No it's not." She said apprehensively pulling the girl into her embrace sitting on the bed. "I really am sorry." The brunette pulled her closer.

"She's really not over you." She said sadly almost inaudibly.

"Well... I am over her." Paige quickly offered trying to figure out what the girl was thinking about as she pulled away from the embrace.

The brunette cutely yawned, as she stood up, "I am exhausted lets fix the covers and get some sleep."

Paige silently agreed as she followed suit. The two quickly organized the sheets and jumped into bed. The two were all talked out. They had spent the entire day talking. They didn't need a late night pillow talk in addition to everything else. Alex found herself facing the wall as she closed her eyes after getting comfortable. She soon felt a wobbly arm wrap around her waste. She let out a deep sigh of relief as she intertwined her fingers in the girl's, just as she had done 24 hours prior.

"Thank you." Alex said sweetly.

"For what?"

"Everything... this." She said lifting their hands. She didn't have to look at the girl to see the smile. She knew it was there. "Goodnight."

The blonde adjusted herself pulling Alex closer to her. "Goodnight."


	19. Wow

Chapter 19:

Alex shifted her body a bit as she slowly started to wake up. The sun was coming through the blinds causing her head to begin to throb. Her eyes opened more slowly as she felt the warmth now gone, the absence of the arm that had been comfortably around her throughout the night wasn't there anymore. She anxiously turned her head to see that the space beside her was now vacant. She angrily cursed herself as she rolled out of the bed. She had seemingly once again managed to put too much pressure on Paige. She wasn't prepared to see her beloved roommate, but she wasn't going to stay somewhere she was no longer wanted. Luckily in her own room she had the right to be there regardless of Rachel's antics.

Cautiously, Alex entered her room to find Rachel still sound asleep. She noted the blonde had been crying at some point during the night. Her face was covered in mascara lines. The sight alone nearly softened her heart. She knew that she should dislike Rachel or maybe even hate her, but she couldn't. The blonde was hurt. She tried to appear strong and stubborn. She was the complete opposite. She was vulnerable and dying inside.

Alex quickly put on her uniform. She wanted to make sure she wasn't there when the hell mouth opened, with one last glance at her roommate she exited the room in a desperate attempt to find Paige. She was worried that things were moving too fast between them, even though nothing was going on. She was sure that Paige had nothing more than platonic feelings for her. She wasn't even sure of her own sexuality but she knew without a doubt that she wanted more than to be friends with Paige. It was something that she wouldn't be able to ignore if things didn't go in her favor. She had never felt this strongly towards anyone and it frightened her beyond belief. The possibility that Paige may actually only want things friendly made her insides turn. 

------------------------

"So have you spoken to Rachel today?" Stephanie asked trying to ease the tension between them. It didn't take more than a fast fiery glance from the brunette to make her regret her choice in ice breaker. "Ok touchy subject. So what do you have on the books for today?"

Alex shrugged her shoulders, continued to chew on the end of her pencil, and stared ahead. She couldn't bring her self to hook at Steph. She wasn't ready to allow the auburn girl the chance at seeing how rough her nose looked.

"Alex what's going on with you?" Alex shook her head but remained facing the front of the classroom. "Are you sure? Did something happen between you and Paige?" Her voice projected slightly more than she had anticipated. Suddenly whispers spread throughout the classroom.

Alex finally turned to face Stephanie. "Do you mind keeping your voice down?" Alex asked raising her voice. Steph's face suddenly dropped and bashfully looked away. "Nothing happened between Paige and me, but your best friend on the other hand."

Steph now becoming aware of the brunette's bruised nose, shook her head sadly. "She did this to you?" Alex sadly nodded. "I'm sorry Alex. I really am." 

"It's not your fault. You're not the one that she's mad at." Alex said angrily.

Alex's emotions were becoming more raw by the second and every ounce of control was leaving her body. She was upset. She had almost taken pity on the girl that had nearly broken her nose. Now she felt nothing but disgust towards her. The surrounding students weren't making things any better for her. She heard what they were saying. Some were saying that she was sleeping with Paige and others were saying she was indeed sleeping with Rachel.

"Mrs. Stevens do you mind if I go back to my dorm. I'm not feeling well."Alex asked politely. She wasn't lying. She really wasn't feeling well.

A few girls began to chuckle loudly. "I bet you don't feel well. I mean it's Paige... I bet you caught something from her skank aah..."

"That's enough out of you, Ms. Jacobs. I'll see you after class!" Mrs. Stevens reprimanded loudly causing the girl only to chuckle louder. "Alex you may go back to your dorm, but I don't want to hear that you've gone anywhere else."

Alex nodded sullenly before gathering her belongings to exit. She was stopped by a hand on her forearm. Words weren't needed. The expression on her friend's face reminded her that everything would work out. She merely smiled at the auburn girl before releasing her arm from the grasp. 

------------------------

Several hours later Alex had opted to go to class. She wasn't ready to face Rachel. If she didn't go to her last class of the day she would run into the blonde. As she walked down the hall, she felt the eyes staring her down. The walk of shame was something she had never had the chance to be introduced to and something she really didn't like. She noticed the familiar girl from her class. Amanda Jacobs was someone she had been luckily enough to not cross paths with until today. Amanda's glare intimidated the brunette but she showed no signs of fear.

Alex entered the her English class earlier than usual to find the blonde already seated. Ms. Reaves was preoccupied with writing on the board. The eerie feeling in the pit of her stomach was becoming unbearable. She hadn't spoken to Paige in over 8 hours. They hadn't spoken or even seen one other the entire school day. She knew that her choice of solitude had an impact on that, but she couldn't face anyone. The last class of the day was always inevitable unless Paige decided on one of her disappearing acts. She had the choice to see Rachel, whom she was avoiding; or Paige, whom she was also ignoring. A bloody nose was not something she would recover from a second time.

Ms. Reaves turned to face the brunette, "Alex are you feeling better?" Alex's face was written must have shown the confusion she was feeling. "Mrs. Stevens told me that you weren't feeling too well early."

Paige turned to face the brunette silently asking if she was ok. "Yeah I'm fine now." She responded more to Paige than her teacher.

"Ms. Reaves smiled kindly, "Well good I'm glad you're up to par now."

Alex forced herself to return the smile as Paige instantly jumped out of her door. Alex angrily chuckled to herself. She wasn't surprised that blonde had yet again run from the impending problems that lied ahead of them. Her flight response was the only thing she was capable of using. Alex knew she shouldn't patronize the girl because she herself had just ran earlier that day, but it was eating her on the inside. Paige continuously let her in time and time again only to shut her out.

Ms. Reaves shook her head as the blonde exited the classroom just as the rest of the class began to get situated. "Alex can you..." She turned her head towards the door.

Alex groaned quietly, "I'll get her." 

-----------------------------

"Paige... Paige!!!!" Alex said angrily when she'd finally caught up behind Paige, who was now standing near the fountain. "Fine whatever Paige! I am sick of running in circles with you. This is bull shit!"

Paige took a cigarette out of her pocket, "I didn't ask you to come out here, Nunez. So just go back inside. We both know you don't need a detention, hon." Each word leaving her lips venomously.

Alex stepped forward and yanked the cigarette out of Paige's hand ignoring her snarky remarks. "What the fuck? That was my last cigarette."

"Good, you shouldn't be smoking anyway." Paige groaned deeply. Alex pressed her lips together concealing the smirk that was soon to spread across them. "What do you want from me?"

Paige turned to face the fountain. "I don't know Alex... I really don't."

"You keep pulling away from me. I can't keep doing this Paige. I can't..." Alex voice trembling with every word. "If you don't want me around... just say so."

"How could you think that? You've become like my best friend, but I am confused ok..." Paige's cheeks turning red as she let out her insecurities out for the first time. She had been hiding her feelings from the other girl for so long. She didn't really want to bare the rejection.

"Confused about what, Paige? I am not going anywhere." Alex bashfully step towards the blonde and grabbed onto to her arm. "I just need to know that you're not either."

"You say that now. But if only you knew..."

"Knew what Paige? I don't even think you could murder someone to get rid of me... well if you murdered me than we'd have problems, but even then I'd hunt your ass down and haunt you." They both let out a laugh.

"Alex can we just not talk about this... right now?" Paige pleaded.

"I don't think I can do that. I need to know what's going on inside that head of yours Paige.."

Paige slung her arm from Alex's grip, but Alex grabbed hold of it tighter than before. "Why? What's the big deal? You're only going to run."

"How do you know?" The blonde shrugs her shoulders before looking down at her feet predictably hugging herself. "How do you know... " Her voice becoming quieter before continuing. "How do you know I don't feel the same way?"

She looks up from her shoes to meet the other girl's eyes. "Look I'm no good for you."

"What do you want me say?"

"Nothing. I don't want you to say anything because it's the truth. I only seem to mess things up for you. I mean you and Gable aren't talking and that's my fault." The blonde said sadly looking down at her shoes once again. "Look I'm just going to go." She pulled her arm from Alex's grip.

Alex allowed her arm to drop to her side in defeat. She felt powerless in the presence of Paige's overwhelming stubbornness. "Paige can you just give this a try..."

"Can we just not go into all of this... I mean I really don't know if I can do this... you know? You and I are such great friends and what if I mess it up? What if you end up hating me? What if I..."

Alex couldn't take it any longer. In that instant she became more sure of what it was she wanted and she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She lunged forward and captured the blonde's lips cutting her off. The pressure of the other girl's lips was enough to make her head spin. It was a feeling that Alex had never experienced. Alex felt as if her heart could jump out of her chest. In that moment no one else mattered. The girls that were tormenting her hours prior didn't matter. All that mattered was that the blonde was hers for the taking. If this was something that she only experienced once in her life, she could live with that. She would have never been able to deal with not having the guts to initiate it. That was something that would make it difficult living with herself.

Paige couldn't breathe. Her breath was literally caught in the back of her throat. She was both stunned and ecstatic. She finally registered everything that was going on and warmed into the kiss. She pulled Alex closer to her, but never breaking the innocence of the kiss. Both girls timidly pulled back from the kiss that neither had the guts to deepen. Their eyes sparkled brightly as they opened them ever so slowly. Paige was the first to find her voice.

"Wow." No more. No less.


	20. Are You Serious

Chapter 20

Paige reached to touch her lips for the hundredth time in the past 6 hours. They were still warm hours after the kiss and the tingly sensation was still ever present. She was slowly turning into _that _girl. The girl that she had sworn to never be again. The girl that found herself lying awake at midnight thinking about the simple things. The things that most took for granted. The things that made her heart skip a beat. The way the brunette would shyly take her hand, hold on to it and silently tell her that everything would be ok. A smile crossed her face as she opened her eyes to find herself facing the wall. She had kissed Alex Nunez or rather had been kissed by her, not once but twice.

Suddenly a familiar feeling resided in the pit of her stomach. Fear. She had been down this route once before and it scared her. What if things really turned out as before? What if Alex ran from her? She had already lost one girl, would she honestly be able to handle the loss again? Paige rolled on her back, looked out the window as the moon shined through her room. She knew any sleep at this point would be pointless. She had attempted to going to bed early, but she had tossed and turned for three hours in frustration. She was frustrated with herself for not being able to respond to Alex. It was a simple question. The answer was even easier. Her gut instinct immediately wanted to respond to the girl, but her fear took over and within seconds she was standing alone.

"_Paige look at me." Alex pleaded. _

_Paige had walked to the lake and was now sitting Indian style in front of it. The voice she usually found soothing was now something that she found more frightening than anything she'd had to endure during her entire life. She knew in the back of her head that Alex wasn't expecting much from her, but was she ready to give that part of her to someone else. _

"_I can't." Paige managed to get out. She honestly didn't have the strength to look at the brunette. _

_Alex hesitantly stepped forward so that she was now standing directly beside the blonde. The two stayed still, staring out into the water, and both hoping that things would work out. Neither was even sure what that meant. Alex was angry with herself for getting carried away. Paige was angry that she hadn't the guts to stay. Instead of dealing with the things that had happed she ran. _

"_Paige..." She slowly sat down beside Paige. Alex accidentally bumped Paige's knee and felt the shock run through her entire body. She was almost certain that the blonde had it, too. As if she had just touched fire she removed her knee from Paige's. She knew she wouldn't be able to fight the urges of kissing the girl once again. "Look I understand... I do." _

_Paige turned to face the brunette for the first time since they had kissed. "I just... I uhh..." She sighed in frustration. She couldn't find the right words to say. _

"_I'm not going anywhere." Alex said sincerely. A half smile crossed Paige's face. Alex returned it before looking down at the ground ashamedly. "But I'm not going to pretend that I don't want you either." _

_Neither had voiced their feelings yet. Paige simply nodded her head. She wasn't sure how to respond to Alex's forwardness. Sure she loved this new side of her. She found it very attractive whether she was able to voice it or not. _

_The pair watched in the horizon as the sun began to set. Paige glanced at the brunette who was hugging herself tightly. She chuckled lightly, noting that Alex never seemed to have a coat around her, and warranted a puzzled look from her friend. She shook her head and gazed back at the sun. After several moments of long debate Paige slowly snaked her around Alex. She felt the brunette tense up at first. Silently she chuckled at how the tables had turned ever so slightly. As she was about the pull her arm way Alex nuzzled farther into the embrace._

"_Warmer?" _

"_Much." Alex said laying her head on Paige's shoulder._

"_Good." The pair let out a content sigh. Everything was going perfectly. _

Alex groaned loudly as she rolled over for at the hundredth time since she'd tried to sleep. It was a battle that she was losing. The more she tried to sleep, the more frustrated she'd become as she failed. She was now facing the empty bed across from her. The sight only frustrated her more than she was. Rachel had obviously opted to sleep in Stephanie's room. She hadn't seen Rachel since she one-sided fight. It angered her that Rachel had a way of making her feel like it was her fault in reality it wasn't. Her thoughts soon returned to the root of her current problems, Paige.

Things had been going perfectly for them. They were actually getting somewhere, but she hadn't the slightest clue where things went sour. Had she done something wrong? Did she put too much pressure on Paige? Was she indeed not what Paige wanted? Was Paige not over Rachel? The questions came to her one after the other. She didn't have a single answer to any of the questions at hand. The only certainty that she had was that there was no way she was going to be getting any sleep.

After long contemplation Alex jumped out of bed. She quickly put on her hoodie and tennis shoes. She had to get some fresh air. She felt claustrophobic in the room. The four walls seemed to be closing in on her. She didn't care that it was now 12:15am or that it was probably chillier than before.

_Paige hated to move from her position, but she wanted to know the time. Alex's head was laying on her shoulder with her eyes closed. She was snuggled up to Paige's side as they were now lying uncomfortably on the ground. She had evidently warmed up since they had first started holding one another. Paige realized her arm from around Alex's neck and pulled her cellphone to look at the time. She closed it and groaned louder than she had intended. "What time is it?" Alex lifted her head to look at Paige. _

"_It's actually after 6 now. You realize we've been lying out here for an hour now?" _

_Alex shrugged her shoulders, "It's not my fault you're so comfy." She laid her head back in it's in the original position. "What are we going to do tomorrow?" Alex asked quietly. _

"_What do you mean?" _

_Alex hesitated momentarily, "I don't know... I don't know what I mean. I just..." _

"_I don't know what we're going to do." Paige answered the girl honestly. She really wasn't sure what the next day would bring. She was content with the now and hadn't really put much thought into __anything else since she had the brunette in her arms. She knew things would be ok with just the two of them. Would that still be the case with others around? _

"_So what is this?" Alex asked afraid of what the answer would be. _

_Paige abruptly released her hold on Alex. Alex knew right away that she had said the wrong thing, but she needed an answer. The uncertainty was killing her. They had been in one another's company for over an hour and neither had the guts to say what really needed to be said. She watched as Paige got up and dusted the grass that had accumulated on her clothes. _

_Alex let out a frustrated sigh and stood up as well. "Paige I need to know. What is this?" _

_Once again she got no answer from the blonde. Paige's gaze focused intently on the water. She stepped forward and kissed Paige for the second time. She felt the blonde kiss her back. She knew Paige felt something, but if she wasn't going to let her in, she wasn't going to keep putting herself on the line. There were no fireworks this time. The pressure alone physically hurt. The pain stricken kiss was overwhelming. She didn't want to believe that it could possible be the last time their lips touched, but this was Paige Michalchuk. One could never be sure. Alex quickly pulled away. She glanced at Paige one last time before walking up the hill. Paige remained stunned motionless. _

Alex hugged herself looking out into the water. She wished she had decided to wear something heavier. The wind was blowing a bit more than usual. She watched the moonlight beautifully lit the water making it easier to see the ripples as they slowly reached the bank. It amazed her how she ended up at the same place she was 6 hours prior. Everything had become such a mess in a little over 24 hours. If she could turn off her feelings, she would gladly do so. Things would still be the same. Her roommate would still be speaking to her, she and Paige could go back to before and she wouldn't be outside trying to tire herself.

The brunette was too wrapped up in her own thoughts that she wasn't aware that she was no longer alone. A rustling in the grass got her attention. Footsteps were getting closer before they suddenly stopped behind her. She didn't have to turn to recognize the voice."What are you doing out here?"

Alex took a deep breath before answering, "I could ask you the same thing." She didn't bother hiding the anger she was feeling.

"Fair enough I deserve that." The blonde stepped forward. "I couldn't sleep."

Alex scuffed, "That's a shame. I'm sporting a freakin bruised nose and you're out here complaining about not being able to sleep."

"Alex... can we just talk?" Alex didn't respond. "Please."

Alex mentally kicked herself. She hated that she still actually cared after everything that had happened. She hated that she couldn't just walk away. "Damn you really are bi-polar, _**Gable**_?"


	21. My New Friend

Alex and Rachel said nothing for what seemed like forever, but in reality it must have been only a couple of minutes. Rachel removed a shinny object out of her pocket. Alex was growing annoyed with the girl and was ready to go back inside. She had agreed to talk to the girl, hadn't agreed to share her space with her. She wanted to be alone. 

"You want some?" Rachel offered as she took a huge sip of the liquid inside the container. She sighed as she felt the burning sensation. 

Alex raised an eyebrow, "What is it?" Rachel shook her head. Instead of answering she tossed the flask at Alex. Alex quizzically looked at the flask. She had only drank once in her life and that was a party they had gone to a few months ago. 

"Just drink it." Alex took one more questioning glance at the object in her hand before removing the lid. She quickly poured the liquid down her throat. Within seconds she spit it out.. 

"What the hell is that shit?" Alex asked wiping her mouth off angrily. 

Rachel chuckled proudly, "It's my best friend Jose. We go back a long way."

Alex watched Rachel chug the tequila down like a champ. It worried her to see her friend, and she used the term loosely, drinking like this. It seemed to be a reoccurring act as of the late. Rather than lecturing the girl beside her, she grabbed the flask from her and chugged the liquid down quickly. She coughed loudly but that didn't stop her from drinking more. 

Rachel's eyes widened, "Damn, go easy there. There is still plenty." She pulled out a second flask. 

-----------------------------

_About half an hour later, while they still sat ..._

gSo Alex why Paige? I mean there are plenty of girls in this school, but why Michalchuk?" 

Alex pondered the question for a bit. Her thoughts were becoming cluttered, but at the same time she was thinking more clearly if that made any sense. "I dunno actually, but I do know I've wanted her since I first saw her.." 

"Cliché much? Rachel took another sip of the half empty flask. The pair had managed to finish the first flask and were on the second one now. Life was good. 

Alex chuckled, "Well it's true. She kept getting my attention over and over." 

"That's cause she wanted to get in your pants." Both girls laughed. 

"True, but it was more than that." Rachel passed her the flask and she gulped it. "She doesn't want me though."

Rachel turned to look at the brunette. The words sounded foreign to her. "She doesn't want you? She said that?" 

Alex shook her head taking another sip of the tequila. "Nope she didn't have to. I just know it. Even if she did want me. She has a strange way of showing it." Her voice lowers a bit. "She keeps hurting me." Alex passes the flask back to the blonde. "And anyway why am I talking about my relationship with Paige with ... you of all people." 

Rachel chuckled, "Touché."

"You know it's only fair you gotta tell me something. I am telling you stuff." Alex stated. 

"Ok... I'm really afraid of... the dark." Alex's expression showed that she wasn't really pleased with the response. "Ok... I'm afraid of opening up again so I keep hurting the one person that I really care about before she can hurt me." 

Alex's expression softened, "Off the record since we're supposed to hate each other or whatever." Rachel laughed loudly. She had almost forgotten that she had punched the girl. "I think you have nothing to be afraid of Rachel. She cares and she won't hurt you." 

Rachel blushed, "Maybe." 

"Nope not maybe, definitely. Now bring on my new friend Jose. I'm getting lonely without him." 

----------------------------------------

_An hour later..._

Alex and Rachel laid on the ground staring at the dark sky. The moon was no longer showing as brightly as it had when Alex had first arrived outside. 

"So this is what drunk feels like?" Alex asked happily. 

Rachel nodded, "Yup this is it. It's great isn't it?" 

"We have something we're supposed to be doing." 

Rachel shook her head at the brunette. "Well since it's..." She pulled out her phone. "It is now 1:45 I would have to say that we are supposed to be sleeping." 

"I'm not sleepy though, but I'm not feeling..." Instantly leaned to the side and emptied the contents of her stomach. Rachel sat up, reached over to her roommate, and patted her on the back. It was the least she could do since it was partly her fault. "I think I drank too much." She continued throwing up a bit more. Each time it caused the blonde to cringe.

"Come on we're going inside."

The brunette didn't argue she slowly got up and followed the blonde's lead. 

The pair finally reached the building. Rachel wanted to take Alex back to their room, but knew in the morning that probably wouldn't be the best of ideas. She would probably end up with a matching nose if she woke up anywhere near her. She opted to the next best idea, which she knew wasn't much of a better of idea. Before entering the building Rachel turned to the brunette who appeared to have bounced back quickly. She was playing with the bricks on the building. The brunette turned out to be quite an interesting drunk. 

"Hey Alex." Alex turned her focus away from the brick she was now trying to remove. "You probably won't remember this in the morning, but off the record." 

Alex chuckled at the phrase, "Haha that's what I said to you." 

"That you did. Off the record." Once again the brunette chuckled. "Never-mind." 

"No tell me." Alex crossed her arms obstinately. 

"She loves you, you know?" 

------------------------------------------

Paige had finally fallen into a light sleep and the incessant knocking on the door didn't please her. She was going to kill whoever was on the other side of the door. She jumped out of bed and put on the nearest article of clothing. She put on the sweats that were at the foot of her bed. She had taken them off at some point because she wasn't able to sleep. Paige reached the door to find blue eyes piercing into her. 

"Gable... what the hell!" Paige yelled.

Rachel said nothing but pointed to the brunette that was sitting on the floor. "You did not get her drunk!" Paige grabbed the collar of Rachel's shirt causing Alex to laugh loudly. 

"It's funny how the tables turn. Gable did this to me." She got up from her seated position and pointed her nose. She began to start tapping it hard. "It doesn't hurt anymore hehehehe..." 

Paige released her grip from the other blonde.. "I'm sure it doesn't." Paige said under her breath. Rachel still remained quiet. "Just get the hell away from me Gable. You've done enough damage." 

"No more than you my friend." Rachel scuffed.

"Oh and what's that supposed to mean?" 

Rachel shrugged her shoulders. "Why don't you ask her." She sashayed down the hall.

"Paigey... my nose still doesn't hurt." Alex giggled drunkenly. 

"Stop that." Paige grabbed her hand a little more rough than she had intended. 

Alex hiccuped loudly. "Ouch that huwrt Paige." 

"I'm sorry." Paige put her arm around Alex and pulled her in the room. "We gotta get you to bed, sweetie." Alex shook her head stubbornly. "Yes we have to. It's 2 in the morning and you missy have class in 5 hours." 

"Uh uh. I'm not going to class. I'm being a bad girl." 

The image of Alex being a bad girl amused her, "Why would you do something like that? That's not you." Alex shrugged her shoulders. 

"Alright missy time for you to get some sleep." Paige walked them over to her bed. The brunette turned to her shaking her head. "What's wrong now? Please tell me you don't have to pee." 

Alex giggled, "No I don't have to pee pee, but I can't sleep in these. They. Are. Dirty."

Paige groaned before walking to her dresser to pull out a pair of boxers and shirt. "Do you think you can manage getting these on yourself?" 

Alex nodded proudly, "But you have to turn around Paigey." Paige turned around giving the brunette the privacy she needed. A minute later she heard the girl jump in the bed. She was right. She managed to get her pajamas on better than any drunken person Paige had ever seen. 

"Wow that's impressive." 

"Uh huh." Alex was very proud of her accomplishment. She was in fact a big girl now. 

Alex crawled into bed, getting herself comfortable, but then realized she was the only one in the bed. The blonde had still been standing in her same spot. She hadn't moved an inch. "Come on Paigey you have to get some sleep too." 

Paige knew it was a bad idea. "Ummm... I think I'm going to sleep over there." She pointed to the small love seat in the corner of the room. 

Alex wasn't hearing it. She jumped out of bed quickly and dragged the blonde to bed with her. "Nope you're sleeping with me." Paige sighed deeply.. She really did not like the idea especially with Alex waking up in the morning. There was no point in arguing with the brunette. She had already made up her mind. She would deal with the repercussions in the morning. 

Alex crawled back into the bed followed by the blonde. She laid her head on the blonde's shoulder without notice startling Paige at first, but it didn't take long before she warmed up to the closeness. She instinctively wrapped her arm around the brunette. Alex snuggled closer in the embrace. 

"This is how it's supposed to be, Paigey. You don't have to be scared anymore." 

Instantly she felt tears trying to escape. Alex's words were so sincere. She knew the brunette was right. She tried to hold the tears back, but a few tears escaped despite her best efforts. She was angry with herself for messing everything they had worked so hard for up within seconds and also because even in the girl's drunken state she had said exactly what she needed to hear. 

She heard Alex let out a deep sigh. She knew she was close to falling asleep. She leaned forward and placed a light kiss on the brunette's temple before laying her head back down. 

"Paige?"

"Yeah Alex?" 

"Is Rachel right?"

Paige's insides tightened up. She worried about anything that came out Rachel's mouth. "About what?" 

"Do you really love me?" 

Before Paige had the opportunity to respond she heard the brunette begin to lightly snore.


	22. Sure

Chapter 22

Alex slowly opened her eyes and noticed that she was not in her bed and the arm wrapped tightly around her mid-drift was not her own. The confusion was slightly more than she could bare. She turned her head to face the blonde, who was lightly snoring, and all memories of the previous night filled her mind. She really wished that she couldn't remember the events that had occurred, but they were ever present. The biggest issue was that she had to get ready for class, for which according to the clock she was already late. Had she really thought it was the wisest decision to get hammered on a school night? 

Alex shifted her body a bit waking the blonde from her heavy sleep. Paige slowly opened her eyes to meet the brown ones that were boring straight through her. The unnerving blonde was the first to break the intense stare. 

"You feeling ok?" Paige treaded lightly. 

Alex shook her head quickly and soon regretted it. "No I don't. I have a killer headache." Paige chuckled lightly. "Don't laugh it's not funny." 

"Well I didn't tell you to down a whole bottle of tequila." Paige stated matter-of-factly.

Alex shrugged, "Yeah well it wasn't a whole bottle... it was a flask." 

Paige gave her an "and that makes a difference" look, leaving the brunette to groan in self pity. She knew it was her fault that she was currently in this state, a lovely hangover state, but she enjoyed the feeling of being drunk. It was the first time her life that she felt so uninhibited . She didn't censor anything. If she felt something and wanted to say it, she damn well said it. Now that the alcohol had warn off she had to deal with the repercussions of her actions. Paige hadn't mentioned anything to her. She didn't have to at this point because she knew that blonde wasn't pleased with her choice of actions.

"You know we've gotta get to class." Paige stated breaking the silence that had engulfed them. 

Alex furiously jerked herself away from Paige's embrace, "You're right I'm going to go." 

"What's wrong?" Paige asked perplexed as she watched the brunette get off the bed quickly. Alex didn't respond leaving the blonde even more confused. "What did I do?" 

Alex jerked her head back to look Paige in amusement, "You're shittin me right?" Paige shook her head slowly. "Well let's take a second shall we? You want me. You don't want me. You open up. You close up. You're sure. You're not sure. You can't..."

"Ok I get the point. I get it." Paige stated dramatically. 

"Do you really? Because I honestly don't think you do, Paige. I am going to ask you this once and only once more." The blonde nervously bit the inside of her cheek while getting up from the bed. "What do you want?" 

Paige stood staring at the brunette blankly. She was officially mute. She knew exactly what she wanted but she couldn't force herself to actually voice it. 

"Exactly. I'll see you around Michalchuk. Thanks for last night." 

Paige nodded sullenly as she watched the brunette exit her room. 

-------------------------------------

Alex's head began to pound more than it had been. She tried to ignore the pain as the intensity increased with every sudden motion. She had to be in class. The class that she was now forty minutes late for. The class that should not have to see the brunette. The class that would now lead to her first detention. The class that she was now even more late for because of her inner musings.

She quickly made an attempt to get ready for class. Her headache was in no way lightening up and as if it was some kind of sign of how bad her day was meant to be, her nose started to throb. The closer she came to being dressed in her uniform the more intense her headache became and the worse her nose hurt. Not to mention things were not looking up for her. She tried to ignore her encounter with Paige. She tried extremely hard, but there was nothing she could do. 

Alex honestly wanted to crawl in a hole with drawing pad and not come out for hours. She was both physically and emotionally exhausted. She had once again put herself on the line. She was patiently waiting for Ashton bring out the cameras. This had to be some kind of sick joke, right? She felt like such a fool and yet she still loved the girl. 

Unannounced Rachel swung open the door breaking her train of thought. Both girls stared nervously at one another.

"I just forgot my book." Rachel nervously stated. She walked over to her desk where her Calculus book was resting. "I didn't mean to interrupt you or anything." 

"Nonsense. This is your room as much as mine. Plus I was just getting ready to leave anyway." 

"Good to know..." Alex raised an eyebrow angrily. "Oh shit I didn't mean that the way it sounded. I just meant... well you know..." 

"I get it." Alex offered trying to sooth the girl or rather shut her up. 

Both girls stared awkwardly at one another. "So how are you feeling this morning?" 

Alex chuckled, "I've definitely had my better days." 

"I imagine so." Alex rolled her eyes at her roommate. "There is some Aspirin in the top of my dresser. It'll make the headache a lot better." She pointed to where the medicine was. "Anyway I got to get to class. I really don't need another detention, but I'm glad to see that you're actually up. I hadn't expected it." 

"Clearly." The brunette joked. 

Rachel chuckled lightly, "Well anyway feel better and I'll see you." 

"Later." The blonde was already out of the room, but she was sure she had heard her. 

------------------------------

Alex entered the restroom to find Paige at the sink brushing her teeth. Paige offered a nod of acknowledgment. The brunette however wasn't as kind. She merely rolled her eyes before walking to the sink. She wanted to get away from the blonde as soon as humanly possible. The presence of Paige was unbearable. Each excruciating second was spent trying to resist either slapping the hell out of Paige or not thinking twice and taking her against the sink or anywhere else. 

Paige noticed the brunette's inner turmoil. "Alex... I didn't mean to...I didn't mean to hurt you." 

"Well then don't." The turquoise eyes sadly stared back at her. 

Alex finished brushing her teeth and started to exit the bathroom before she heard a very quiet voice call her name. She turned around and was met with an intensity she'd never known. "Alex what do I do? How do I fix this?" Paige pleaded. 

"This back and forth game is getting tiresome. You really want to fix this?" Alex questioned.. Paige nodded sullenly. "Ok... once can you be completely honest with me?" Alex exasperatedly asked. She wasn't sure if she could handle another rejection.. 

Paige's face turned pale, to say that she was nervous would be an understatement. Feelings were never her thing and here she was about let everything out. If Alex wanted her to be honest that's what she was going to do. She owed it to her. 

"Alex I'm just scared, but I want you. Don't for one second think that I don't. I lo--- like everything about you." She hesitated a moment to see if the brunette was going to run, but she stood there patiently waiting. Her expression unreadable to the blonde. I like the way you're constantly challenging me. I like the way that you've yet to leave me even when I hurt you the most, but most importantly I just plain like you, weird quirks and all." 

Alex remained quiet for a moment taking in everything. "So you think I'm weird Michalchuk?" Both girls let out a much needed laugh. The tension was high and everything was being thrown on the table.

"Oh yeah Nunez. The weirdest, but between the both of us. I kind of like it." Alex grinned brightly. She had almost forgotten about her beating headache, just almost though. "So you think you might kind of sort like me too?" Paige asked bashfully. 

Alex shrugged her shoulder nonchalantly, "I might." 

"You might?" 

Alex nodded, "Yup I might..." Paige's head dropped sadly. "Or I might really like you a lot, you never know." 

Paige lifted her head to meet the brown eyes that were now staring intently into her. She felt like they were burning a hole in her. The intensity was unwavering. Paige was the first to break the stare. She glanced over at the clock. It was now after 8 and the two were already late for their first class. 

"Come on I gotta walk you to your first class." Paige said as she held out her arm to the brunette. 

Alex glanced at the arm with uncertainty, "Does this mean what I think it means?" 

"What do you want it to mean?" 

"Well..."

"Are you asking if this makes us Girlfriends?" Both girls chuckled at the term. "Well ummm... I uh... I don't know." Paige nervously bit the inside of her lip. "I was kinda hoping to wait on this but--- would you like to go out tonight?" The brunette stopped all sudden movements..

"Like on a date?" 

"Yeah like on a date." Paige's barely there courage was slowly deflating as she waiting for the brunette to say something. "I mean that is if you don't have plans already... or you don't I totally understand it's just that---" 

"Hey calm down Paige. Breathe." Paige quickly turned the color of a tomato. The brunette pretended to ponder things for a moment. "I'll think about it." Alex answered jokingly, linking her arm through Paige's and exit the bathroom. 

"I've been meaning to ask. How's your nose?" 

The pain instantly returned. She had managed to forget about her headache and nose pains. Thanks to the blonde it returned full swing. "On second thought being extremely late to class doesn't sound like such a bad idea. I need an Aspirin and then we'll go to class." 


	23. Really Now?

Chapter 23

Alex had anxiously awaited the evening to come. Stephanie was the first to notice the change in atmosphere between the two girls when Alex was never late to any of her classes. The fact that she already missed her first class and was being escorted by Paige didn't come as much of a surprise to her. The fact that it was happening so soon did shock her slightly. She didn't expect the pair to get things right until well after graduation. She was beyond enthused that they two were finally making some sort of progress. In reality it had only been three months but it seemed like an eternity.

Alex entered the class with an enormous grin plastered on her face. It definitely didn't go unnoticed by Stephanie. It only confirmed that things were really going that great between them. She only wondered how great things were going. Were they friends? Were they more? Either way it didn't matter because they were now talking and actually publicly showing their friendship.

"I'll see you tonight erm… Well you know in Ms. Reeves' class." Paige called after the brunette causing the entire class to turn their attention to her.

Both girls turned extremely red as the class erupted in laughter. Steph was the only one not laughing.

"Ms. Michalchuk do you really have to interrupt my class?" Mrs. Stevens inquired.

"Well… now that you mention it."

"That'll be enough. Can you just get out of my class?!"

"Sure thing Mrs. Stevens, but you know you miss me."

"Out! Now!" Mrs. Stevens said swatting her arm dramatically towards the door.

Paige winked in Mrs. Stevens direction before exiting the class, but not before getting one last glance of the brunette. The two stared at one another briefly completely oblivious to the laughter and commotion going on around them. After one last shy smile exchanged between the two she exited the room.

Mrs. Steven cleared her throat loudly causing the class to quite down.

"Take out your books and open to page 265. We're going to work on a few labs over the course of the next few weeks. Since Thanksgiving is coming up next week we're going to be doing bookwork until the break comes."

Alex sat down and did as she was instructed until she was called to walk to the front of the class. She feared that she was going to get a detention or worse any sort of suspension.

"So you were late today Ms. Nunez." Alex sullenly nodded. "What do you propose we do?" Mrs. Stevens asked. Alex shrugged her shoulder. "Honestly I think since this is your first infraction in my class I'll let it slide under one condition."

A smile spread instantly across Alex's face, "Anything Mrs. Stevens."

"Just be careful next time."

"I will. I won't be late again." Alex eagerly stated.

"Not just with that. Be very careful." Alex starred at her quizzically. "Now get to your seat and don't disrupt my class anymore."

A very confused Alex sauntered off to her desk and began to work on her assignment.

"So you going to tell me what's going on?" Stephanie asked as Alex finally took her seat.

"She just told me not to be late again."

Steph shook her head, "Not with Stevens. I meant with Michalchuk."

Possibly for the thousandth time that morning Alex smiled widely. She couldn't contain it but she wasn't going to tell the red head anything. She loved having a secret of her own even if it wasn't very secretive.

"We're cool."

Steph decided not to probe for more information. The smile that the brunette was unable to hide was telling enough.

------------


	24. No You're A Pirate

Chapter 24

Alex found herself checking her watch every five minutes. Each time she would groan to herself. She knew watching the time literally tick away would only make the day seem longer. She still could not help herself. It had a become a nervous habit of hers over the years, however today it did nothing to ease the anxiety she was feeling. Alex's stomach was doing circles throughout the entire day of school. She was excited for the day to come to an end, but she was also very nervous. She had no idea what to expect.

Paige was one of the most unpredictable people she had grown to know. Some days she felt like she really knew the blonde and others she felt like she knew nothing about her at all. Just when she thought she had learned something, Paige would do something unexpected and throw her game off, like the first day she showed up at her door. She smiled to herself remembering the day they had officially became friends.

_"Animal Planet?" Paige asked. Alex looked at her disappointedly and nodded. "No I actually love it. Just kind of sucks Steve Erwin isn't on there anymore... poor guy." She continued sadly._

_"Yeah I know right?" It took her a moment to catch on. "Wait a second..." Amusingly, Alex looked at the other girl who now seemed confused. "Paige Michalchuk enjoys Animal Planet?"_

_"I can't help it. I love Kangaroos. They're like my weakness or something..." She noticed the girl beside her grinning widely. "Shit... why am I even telling you this? You're going to use this as like ammunition or something aren't you?"_

_Alex nodded her head dramatically. "Yup I believe so. You're such a softy."_

_"If this gets out and I'll know whom to come after Nunez…. I mean Alex." The brunette smiled at the sound of hearing her own name. The girl really was making an effort._

_"Alright whatever you say..." Alex said before mumbling. "Softy."_

_"I heard that." The blonde said before looking back at the screen. _

The pair had come a long way from that day. They had been through a roller coaster of emotions. Even with all the obstacles they had made it. Alex was in no way certain what that meant. In the movies once the couple finally kissed the credits were soon to follow, however, this was not the movies. She would simply live day by day. She wouldn't let her fear get the best of her. She was terrified of what could happen if she gave herself to Paige entire. She had never given herself to anyone, but she was willing to try for the blonde. She just hoped the blonde was just as willing. Earlier in the morning she seemed set on the same thing. After all she had asked her on a date, that had to mean something, right? She took a deep breath hoping that everything would turn out well for her during the evening. . She also hoped that she hadn't been dreaming when Paige asked her out on a date. If it were a dream, Alex didn't want to wake up anytime soon. She had not been this excited about anything in her entire life, granted her life was dull, this had to be saying something.

The day was filled with knowing stares from the other students. Some smiled, other's snarled in disgust, and some didn't respond at all. If she weren't so excited about the evening to follow she'd have actually cared. She would have wanted to run and hide. She would have wanted to know what the girls were saying. She wouldn't have wanted to know. Her mind didn't have time to process anything. Her thoughts were clouded by a certain blonde that now consumed her.

Thoughts of Paige brought a huge smile to her face that she couldn't wipe off her face. The smile was plastered to her face for the majority of the school day. It only faltered when she walked into her last of the day. Alex found herself disappointed beyond belief. She was sadden to see that the blonde had opted to not go to class. All kinds of questions ran through her mind. Was Paige regretting everything? Was she already high tailing it back to god knows where? The questions filled her head slowly drowned out the sound of Ms. Reaves' voice. She tried many times to keep her attention on the subject at hand, but failed miserably. About fifteen minutes of torture she finally gave up. Stressing herself to pay attention was only giving her a headache.

She pulled out her drawing pad. She always had it with her while at school. It was almost like a security blanket, whether she was able to draw in it or not, just having it around her was enough. Alex pulled out one of her charcoal pencils from her satchel. She instantly remembered the drawing she had been working on before, flipping through the pages she found the same empty. There was nothing there except for the outline. She slowly dragged the pencil along the rough edges of the paper in a circular motion until she finally reached the center of the paper. She slowly began with the feet up. Her motions became more rapid as each body part was slowly coming into focus. Every emotion she had bottled up were being released with each stroke of the pencil. Every time she changed pencil shades another layer of feeling she didn't know existed was expose.

The bell sounded loudly bringing Alex back from her work of art, if it could even be called that. Her earlier frustrations with the blonde soon returned as she looked at the empty seat in front of her before gathering her belongings and exiting the classroom. She walked down the hall angrily and uncertainly. Alex did not have the slightest clue what was going on. Not far ahead she noticed the blonde talking to one of the girl's from her English class, Marie. Marie handed Paige a piece of paper before walking off leaving the blonde with a smile on her face.

"Hey! Where were you?!" Alex asked impatiently.

The hostility of the words threw Paige off slightly. She was hoping the brunette was as excited to see her, as she was to see the brunette. "I was taking care of something." Paige stated distantly.

"You're running again aren't you?"

"Running? What are you--"

Alex rolled her eyes annoyingly, "You weren't in Reaves' class and now you're talking to Marie?"

"What Marie? What are you talking about?"

Once again the brunette rolled her eyes, "You don't waste time do you?"

"What?!" Alex crossed her arms and waited for more of an explanation. "I told you I had to take care of something."

"Something?"

It was now Paige's turn to roll her eyes, "Yes something. If I had known getting something ready for _you_ would lead to an interrogation. I'd have better prepared myself."

Alex sheepishly looked away from Paige. "Oh."

"Marie was giving me my homework for Reaves' class." Paige rather annoyed shrugged her shoulders. "Be ready by 7."

Alex was left standing in the hallway to deal with her embarrassment alone. Her cheeks were on fire and she hoped none of her classmates would notice. She ashamedly walked to her bedroom. She wanted to hide her face in a pillow and scream. She had made an ass of herself when Paige was going out of her way.

--

After long hours of getting ready Alex finally found herself dressed. She had decided to wear a pair of her favorite jeans and a red sweater with her favorite black leather jacket. She looked in the mirror, pleased with the outcome. A second opinion would have been nice. She was moderately disappointed to not have Rachel's wardrobe advice, but she knew neither was ready. They were no longer trying to kill one another which was a step in the right direction, but they still hadn't really discussed the prominent matters between them. There would probably always be a purple elephant in the room with them. That purple elephant was now knocking on her room door. Alex anxiously stepped towards the door opening it ever so slowly.

"Hey Stranger." Alex shyly stated.

"Hey yourself." Paige responded, equally as shy. She was in total awe of the brunette. "You look really nice tonight."

A crimson color instantly surfaced on the brunette's cheeks. She merely nodded and found herself taking in everything. Both girls were more nervous than they had anticipated. Alex tried to reassure herself that she had spent many hours with Paige, but it did nothing to alleviate the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Paige found herself trying to recollect her thoughts in order to make things more enjoyable for the two of them.

"So are we going to leave or are we just going to stand here all night?" Alex attempted to joke.

"Right. Let's go."

Paige held out her arm for the brunette to link her arm through it as they had done earlier. Paige felt a sudden burst of energy flow through her arm. The tingling sensation was nearly unbearable.

--

Alex looked around her in shock. A place that had become so familiar over the past several weeks was now making it hard to breathe. Alex took a step closer to the blanket that Paige had laid out before them. There were small red candles lit. She looked below them to view the town. The view was perfect, the town lit beautifully, and Alex was unable to say anything. Paige had been right. The view was much better at night. Everything was perfect.

Both girls remained quiet for several moments observing everything. Alex was so overwhelmed, while Paige was nervously watching Alex. Paige hoped everything was to the brunette's liking, she didn't want to overstep any boundaries or come off as too cheesy. She had racked her brain with idea after idea, but this always seemed to be the one came back to mind.

_Paige led the way for her friend to a small area where they could overlook the town. If it were night they would be able to see every light. The view was amazing. Everything looked so small from they were. The tranquility only added to the effect of things. It gave them a feeling of invisibility. Like nothing could touch them from where they were standing._

_Alex peered below taking in the small town below them. "So what are we doing here?" Alex asked._

_Paige smiled widely, taking her time to speak for dramatic effect. "Just listen..."_

_"Ok... I don't hear anything." Alex states the obvious._

_"Exactly." The blonde says with a huge grin on her face. "I've been coming here ever since Freshman year." Paige finally sits down on the grass below them and Alex follows suit._

_"So it's what your fortress of solitude or something?" Alex says as she plays with the grass. The feeling alone nearly made her miss home, but being with Paige was better than any memory she had in Toronto._

_"I guess so." Paige gazes out into the horizon. "You make me sound like Superman or something."_

_"Nope you're a pirate." Alex says with a huge grin on her face._

"I know we've already been here several times before together and it's not much, but….."

Alex shook her head still in shock. "This is amazing." Paige's cheeks instantly turned a dark shade of red to match the sweater she was wearing. She nodded her head bashfully. "I'm serious, Paige. It's perfect."

"I wasn't really sure what you'd you want to eat. So I kind of brought a bit of everything." Paige shyly stated. She honestly had grab something on every isle in the local grocery store. She really wanted to make the best impression on the brunette.

"Is this where you were..." Alex's voice trailing off as the embarrassment reared it's head once again. Paige nodded as she chuckled lightly at the brunette. "Well thank you, but you really didn't have to do all this you know?" Suddenly her voice lowered slightly. "I would have been content with just spending time with you."

"Me too." Paige stated confidently as a goofy grin spread across her face.

Alex smiled noting the confidence the other girl was gradually possessing once again. She chuckled to herself realizing how hard it was to believe that the girl that now sat before her was the same cocky girl she had first met. The two began to talk about anything and everything under the sun. The shyness from the beginning of the evening had come to an end; however, neither girl had gotten enough courage to make any steps forward out of the box of their friendship.

The brunette laughed to herself as she wondered where all her courage had gone. She had been the more forward of the two and now that she had everything in front of her she hadn't the slightest clue what to do with it. Paige too was inwardly battling with herself. She wanted to something, anything, but she was not sure how the brunette would react.

"You know I'm sorry about earlier." Alex quietly finally said after long debate with herself. She did not want to taint the atmosphere that surrounded them, but something needed to be said. Paige raised her brows briefly in confusion. "I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions earlier... it's just that I've... we've..."

Paige smiled, "I get it. I'm sorry too. I wasn't trying to hurt you, Alex. I just don't know how to do this."

She boldly grabbed Alex's hand. She squeezed her hand lightly only further explaining herself.

"Well neither do I." Alex responded playing with the other girl's fingers. She loved the way they felt with hers. "We'll learn together." A smile crossed the blonde's lip.

"Together?"

Alex suddenly felt nervous, pulling her hand away quickly, "Well I wasn't assuming. I just.. well... it's just I thought that maybe... well..." She sighed in frustration. She once again put her foot in her mouth and there was no way of recovering her tracks.

"Calm down, Alex..." She looked away shyly. "Together kind of sounds nice anyway."

"It does, doesn't it?" Alex turned her gaze to the scenery below them. "Together."

A smile played across Paige's lips as she echoed the brunette. "Together."


	25. Time Sure As Flies eh? :

I know most of you guys were hoping that this was an update, but sadly it's not. I really want to to update this story. It's been ages and you all definitely deserve that much of me, but I can't... not right now. When I first started writing it I was in such a dark place. It was one of the ONLY positive things in my life that kept me afloat and now my life is fantastic! I couldn't ask for a better best friend, a better lover and just all around fucking amazing person in my life. I couldn't ask for a better life in general. My life has taken off... and even though I have adequate time to update (I won't even lie and say I don't have time because I totally do.) I just can't get with the program. It kills me. I come to this story time and time again. And I got nothing. So it's not without trying.

So with all that being said. I am really sorry guys! I had so much planned for these guys (even written until I lost it all on the old computer...) and now I have drawn a blank. Maybe I can watch some old Palex episodes or something and at the very least get inspired for a sending off...

I am very disappointed in myself. I really thought this was the story I'd finish... :-/

Thanks for all your support and all your awesome comments!

You guys are awesome. And hopefully you guys will understand eh?

Ciao for now!


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